Two Foxes
by Monochromatic-Fox
Summary: A thief and an ex-prince have way more in common than what they think. Warnings: Language, Torture/Humiliation, Seduction. Onesided SasuNaru. Potential MenNaru Menma from Road To Ninja (Alternate Naruto)
1. Prolouge

Alliy shadicus! A new story!

Disclaimer: If I owned ANYTHING used in this story, I would be VERRRY rich and not be writing this right now.  
Plus, I would also be a professional in making readers and the like CRY and FLOOD WITH EMOTION! But I cant do either of those, plus;  
I dont own any of the characters used in this story. I own the plot and nothing more.  
(I dont own the middle ages either, nor the roman ages, or the dynastys, but then again, I dont think that that was needed :D)

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The crunch of boot against sand disturbed the calm, uninhabited beach. The beach was empty, the sky was clear with no clouds, and the only predominate sounds were the winds and the wash of the waves.

Three people were walking to the edge of the surf. A noble and two bodyguards. To be even more specific, a **prince** and two bodyguards.  
His name was Sasuke Uchiha.  
If there was ever a stereotype that all royal people were snobs and brats, then Sasuke was the prime and polished example.  
He wasn't old enough to be king, yet too old to be called prince. His parents were away on some trip overseas. But it didn't matter, they would let him do whatever anyway. He wasn't even king yet, but he still had conquered a single kingdom.

If he didn't need anything, forget that, WANT anything, he would be standing here. But sadly, he DID want something and he WAS standing there. In the warm sun, the salty winds being the only cooling factor. Normally, Sasuke was one to be very irritated. But this time, there was too much on the line to be angered by a little sweat.

Sasuke was waiting on a very important... object to get here from a ship.

Speak of ships... there was a single dot on the horizon of where the two blues of sky and sea met. It could only be the ship that he was hoping for.

When the flush of the mast came into veiw, Sasuke let a small grin stay on his face.

As the ships full size became clearly visible, said ship made a round turn to where Sasuke could see the side of it. It stopped.  
Even from here he could see the men drop down a landing ship, and a struggling captive, too. He quirked an eyebrow and nodded his head in approval.  
Even their landing ships had masts, and that was something to appreciate, even in his far-less-than-rugged lifestyle.

When the sailors deamed it as good enough to row, they held the struggling captive down one last time and did so. The ship made one last swerve to the side and dropped down a corvus (1) onto the beach. Sasuke could now clearly see a shirtless, black-hair teen kicking and defending himself as best he could. Sasuke aknowledged the boy's fierce behaivior. Even as he fought, his arms were tied behind back, all the way up to his elbows.  
Despite that, he was giving every man on the deck a boatload of trouble.

He was yelling something uninteligible, but Sasuke was pretty sure it was an insult or a guilt-plead, or something along those lines.  
A larger man grabbed the teen's black hair, yanked, and turned him around to that he was facing the dropped corvus, then kicked him in the back. Sending him tripping an falling towards Sasuke. This teen landed four meter away from Sasuke and his two bodyguards.

There was a second of silence before- "I didn't do anything!" The captive, that Sasuke wasn't looking at yelled.  
Sasuke reached behind his back and pulled out a bag of silver. "..." He didn't even look at the captive, instead focusing on the pirate in front of him.

"Look at me, you coward!" The captive yelled but to no avail. Sasuke didn't even have to look to know that his bodyguards had already secured eachother

"Do ye' have the money?" He asked, offering a balled fist. Sasuke briefly took not that his voice was deep.

"Naturally." Sasuke stated with a satisfied smile before dropping the soccerball sized bag into the pirate's hand. It pooled slightly, but the pirate's glum and disgusted look did not drop or falter.

"A noble, doin' dirrty trades with a pirate. A slave on top o' that." The pirate stated as he tied the bag loosely onto his waist.

"I had little choice, he was traveling into your area." Sasuke states nonchalantly, though the smile is still cracking along his face. Even through this, he is unable to make eye-contact with the no-nonsense, go-get-the-job-done, pirate. And before he can say good-day, the pirates are pulling up the mast.  
A shill, aged voice calls "No hard feelin's! The capin's only trying to help his crewsmen!" Sasuke presumes that he's talking about the captive. Speaking of which...

Sasuke saunters calmly around the held-down captive. The captive has black armwarmers that stop at his elbows, red straps reinforcing them, even if they break. He has airy, black pants, sandle-boots that are also covered in red straps. Black hair, darker than his own, and... a black mask, also layered in red straps.  
But what really captures Sasuke's attention...

Are those electric blue eyes.

It's the real clue that lets him know who he has caught.

"Menma."Sasuke says before crouching down on one knee. "The pirates are very trust-worthy in the tropics... especially when it comes to a hefty bounty." Menma isn't looking at him, so Sasuke grabs him by the underside of his chin. Lightly, just so he can see into the other's eyes.

"You underestimate me, I will escape." Menma says, gritting through his teeth, mask stretching. Sasuke chuffs lightly.

"You know, you remind me so much of another captive of mine. You two should get along just fine." Sasuke squeezes lightly.

"Ignorant, pompus ass. I will get out of your pathetic excuse of a castle, Uchiha." Menma raises his voice.  
Sasuke's lips twitches and curls lightly as he squeezes harshly, and he's not sure if it's Menma's rage, or his own hand clamping on the sides of his jaw.  
He brings Menma's face in close, their faces only six inches apart. A shadow covers Sasuke's face as he very quietly threatens;

"No you wont."

Menma is knocked out by the bodyguards in a spilt second and the last thing he see's is Sasuke's face.

TBC

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(1.)Corvus: A device created in the Punic War. A bridge that swung out to other ships and occasionally land. Allowing either the escape of the men on the other ship, or the transporting of the men onto an enemy ship.

(2.) Menma: Naruto's alter-self in Road to Ninja. If you dont know here; these will help: wiki/Menma_(movie)... ?qh=§ion;=&q=Menma+naruto#/d59kbzg...

(3) I put the mask on Menma because the story needs it.

OOOOWAAAAAHHHHH! THIS IS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE! it shouldn't be BUT IT IS :D  
And seeee, I said "Sporadic Updates" And since I was in a library...it was much faster. But I did start :D  
United in Disagreement will be updated later this week.


	2. Tale of Naruto

Chapter 1!  
Warnings: this chapter has cursing and humiliation.

_  
Menma didn't open his eyes when he stirred. He couldn't hear anything around him and he really didn't want to find out where he was.  
Despite the forming fears, he cracked open his eyes. Everything is blurry and colors were grouped into one another.

Soon, his vision became more solid and his thief instincts kicked in.  
Closing his eyes he checks if memories are still intact. He knows from blows to the head with pots and head-on collisions with wood planks that memory is destroyed then rebuilt over the weeks.

He briefly curses his instincts as he remembers very vividly being captured by the pirates he'd only seen three days before at the stockyards. Then being hauled onto that foul-smelling ship... Later being in the hands of the Uchiha Prin-

Wait. Shit, that wasn't supposed to be remembered!

Menma did another quick reassessment of himself.  
He was still bound, he could feel the ropes finally starting to chaff him. Pants... Strapped sandals.  
He still had his mask on. Menma dryly chuckled, the idiots couldn't remove it.  
No other real points of pain... No bruises were going to show. A scratch on the shoulder when he took out that oar...

Now. Where was he? He really didn't want to open his eyes to find out.  
He could tell he was laying on his side... There was a rug under him...Wooden planks.. He was outside... In the sun. Close to the evening, judging by the cooler air.

Blinking away the grogginess, he shifted his knees and swung himself upward. His muscles and joints cried at the sudden flow of blood and change of tension, kinks and releases crack and pop all through his spine. He took a moment to roll his shoulders and relax his joints before looking out.

He was on a deck of sorts, overlooking a Asian aristocratic quarter, crowds of smaller nobles and higher ups were looking at something in the center of the yard. He couldn't quite see what it was through his vision flickering and fading before he could make sense of the scene.

"Awake?" Menma snapped his head to the speaker. Only to be sourly disappointed when he saw Prince Sasuke sitting in a chair, talking in his general direction, voice thick with sastifaction.  
Menma dully noted that Sasuke had on all of his basic, black armor.  
Menma muttered something about 'low' and 'scum', then turned his eyes back to the center of the courtyard.

The time was definnatly evening, judging by the gold-turned roofs and the blue shadows. Along with the fact that the sun seemed to be behind them. The air remained crisp and promised of rain. The moisture stung Menma's chest longer than it should've before it warmed to his body temperature.

He could hear yelling now, couldn't quite make it out. But then he saw...  
A high turntable, a girl was strapped down on it. Her blond hair making stark contrast against the gold hues of the evenings.  
She was being humiliated. Rotten food was being thrown at her. Even from here he could see she was dressed... Like a concubine. Flashy colors, see through veils. But not revealing anything to the innocently confused children. Still... She was... Pretty.

"That's not a girl." Sasuke broke Menma out if his staring. Shock, realization, and disgust crashed through Menma in a matter of seconds.  
Not to the boy, but to Sasuke.

"You sick fuck." Menma said lowly as he looked away from Sasuke.

"But thats not just any boy either." Menma raised his head in annoyed intrest. Of course Sasuke would only be here to watch something he'd orchestrated himself.

"That, is Prince Naruto Namikaze." Sasuke said. Not looking away from the display of ruthless torture.  
Menma snapped his head up at the prince in confusion. Shock rippling through his neck.

"What!?" Every man he'd met that came from the Namikaze rule... They were all good men who held a code of honor. Last he'd heard about the kingdom was that it was blossoming into one of the best, watched over every subject like a mother bird watches over her young.  
So what was the Namikaze prince doing in an Uchiha courtyard, being humiliated and dressed as a slave?

Sasuke took a sip from his glass of wine, taking his sweet time to answer. A crazed look flashed over his face, replaced by what Menma would imagine a happy sadist. "It's a shame really. Naruto was so ready to die for his parents and subjects. No matter how fake those royalty were." Sasuke says with controlled satisfaction.

Menma can aready feel disgust and hatred towards Sasuke for destroying the place where good people were.  
"I destroyed their kingdom and took their son as hostage." he paused to contain his glee "If I could keep Naruto, then I would spare the lives of their wretched subjects." he chuckles as a spoiling corncob hits Naruto's back. It squelches and the soppy kernels split in a mess before rolling off the spine.

Menma winces as pity coils in his chest. He'd heard good tales of Prince Naruto too. That he would help with manual labor.  
Something royalty was never supposed to do.  
He held high respect for those who would help others. Naruto was no exception.  
Even darkness loves light.

"You..." Menma is enraged. He can't seem to find the words to compel his anger to the pompous piece of shit in the chair.

"You know, you remind me a lot of Naruto. You should get along quite well." Sasuke says as he waves his hand toward Naruto. A tomato bursts against Naruto's shoulder, Menma watches as the clearish red liquid dribbles down. Menma lowered his eyes when the shoulder vanished.

"I would love to have him as a real concubine. However, humiliation seems to be the way to go. I was Hoping you two could... convince each other..."  
Menma let's out a low growl when Sasuke's eyes slide over to him seductively.

Menma chides within' his mind as he retorts; "You know, I used to know someone like you. He had the same hair. A bit more fashion taste... He was a bit happier, and a total slut, ladylover..." Menma stops talking when Sasuke's eyes harden at Menma's rejection. Menma grins through his mask.

"Just like Naruto." Sasuke states offhandedly before turning back to the ex-prince.

Menma already respects Naruto even more.

Menma looks back to the humiliation fest.  
And he can't seem to turn his head away. If Sasuke was so stuck on this boy, there was something special about him. Royalty would rather execute the disobedient.  
And the more he looked, he saw that Naruto did not fight back. He hunched over, taking the hits to the back and anywhere the nobles could reach with food. Menma cringed when someone managed to hit Naruto's cheek with an egg, yolk and white slushing over his cheek and the hard shell cracks over the impact.  
But he couldn't look away.

"I hate you." Menma says through the soft fabric of the mask. He rips his head away from the entrancing scene. "You fucking tyrant." Menma's voice is low, his eyes tell of tamed fire. And for a moment, Sasuke is intimidated. Just like he was when he faced Naruto's rage.

Sasuke has blinked, Menma knows he has instilled fear into his captor.

Menma is snapped out of the staring match when a bell goes off. He sees it on a distant platform, the crowd stops and begins to disperse.  
He can see, even from this distance, Naruto's body loosens and slouches. Another sensation of bile coils in his throat. The nobles begin to disappear throughout the streets and into their homes. Menma is already disgusted with the society.

"I demand that I see him. Now." Menma says as he watches the seemingly broken body collapse onto itself.  
Not waiting for Sasuke's answer, Menma jumps up and off the board platform, despite his heads sharp and painful protest, along with the cracks in his knees as joints rip loudly.  
Menma hears a cry from Sasuke and keeps on running as best he can in the ropes. Making a beeline for the turntable, he can hear the clanks of guards armor behind him. He briefly glances around the streets to see if there are more.

So many guards along the streets. 'Well, no chance of escape for now.' Menma resigns himself automatically.

Menma gets his face under Naruto's just in time to see his water-blue eyes. He was wearing a thick red veil that covered the top of his nose to his chin. But when he sees those eyes, right before they close, he can't help but see a fragment of his own hope reflected in them.

Two guards grab him by the arms and blindfold him. His world going dark as he halfheartedly struggles.  
He can hear the others undoing the straps and pulling Naruto off of the turntable, the sounds of limp limbs crumbling onto solid material.

He can hear Sasuke's itrritated voice behind him, along with feet crunching against the ground, coming this way. "Impulsive." Sasuke spits. "Wanted to see if he was ok?" Sasuke taunts lightly. Menma tenses at the cutesy words. "It's alright. You'll see him again. Since you loved the display, I'll give you a show personally."  
Menma can HEAR the smirk in Sasuke's voice. Even if he didn't do anything evil, Menma would still hate him.

He's guided into someplace unknown. He doesn't struggle. Hey, he may be a theif, but that doesn't mean he's ridiculously strong. Plus, these guards are HUGE. Best to sit and wait. Wait until he has a plan.

He can feel the cushion of some soft rug under his sandal, he knows he's in some kind of fancy room. A door shuts and Menma is shackled to a wall. They peel away his blindfold and he's greeted with a very awake Naruto kneeling on the floor and Sasuke with a barbed whip.

"Who is he?" Naruto says inclining his head in Menma's direction, food dropping off of the skin and flimsy clothes like water drops.  
"Someone else who managed to catch the attention of 'The Great Bastard'?" Naruto asks snarkily and his question is answered with the crack of the whip on his back. Naruto stifled a cry under his pursed lips.

"Shut up. " Sasuke answers curtly.

Menma glances around to see that this was indeed, some kind of castle quarters. The white wash walls and the crimson colors of roses line the ceiling. A window shines light on Naruto and Sasuke, making them stand out as dark object against the light.  
Menma had miscalculated, it was closer to three hours past noon. Sasuke speaks again. "I really don't understand you, Naruto."  
Sasuke let's another crack loose. Menma watches as Naruto's back begins bleeding. Red streaming and parting the food liquids away as it made a trail down Naruto's back.  
"I strip you of your title."  
Lower back  
"Your home."  
Neck  
"Family."  
Both arms.  
"And you still don't break." Sasuke slaps the whip down and this time drags it through the other wounds.  
The grinding _skrinch_ of being slowly cut fills the room. Naruto coughs before answering  
"Cause I'm better than that."

Sasuke maneuvers in front of Naruto. Naruto lifts his head, flimsy concubine material sliding and skishing over the whip marks along his body.  
Sasuke returns this by bending over and letting his fist fly with a punch to Naruto's face.

"WHY?" Sasuke grabs Naruto's face "You are not a prince anymore! You should be cowering and clinging! You cannot do anything!" Naruto yanks his head away from the others grasp. Pulling away before facing the other.

"Don't give me that, I am more of a Prince than you could ever be!" Sasuke responds to the remark with a kick to the ex-prince's sternum. Naruto coughs up drops of blood.

"You know," Sasuke says, bringing the whip to his own eyes for observement. "I could make all your pain go away. If you became the alliance contract and enjoyed a night with me?" Sasuke brings the whip to Naruto's lowered chin, lifting the stubborn boy's head.  
Naruto's eyes burn for a second, then, wrenching his head, he bites the whip through the thick veil. He rips the device out of Sasuke's hands. Spitting it out at his side. It clatters and clicks into silence.

"Hell will freeze six times before I sleep with you."

Sasuke kicks Naruto to the ground. Naruto immediatly pulls and pushes himself back up. Only to face the retreating Uchiha's back.

"...Unshakle him." Sasuke looks numbly to Menma's direction.  
" Come, men. Leave the incompetent ones behind. I will be back." He promises.

Menma is dropped from his shackles and he lands with a dulled chud, his knees bend reflexively and hold his weight in a crouch until the momentum is halted. Briefly, he notes the difference in landing on dust and rocks as opposed to soft carpets.  
He watched in light amusement as a fuming Sasuke slamed the door.  
He waits until the multiple footsteps fade into the rest of the castle before turning his attention to Naruto.

_  
TBC  
_

Wow. Had fun doing this. Yes, I warned you "One-Sided SasuNaru"  
and hotdahwg this was what I aiming for :D  
Yes Sasuke is a total brat. kakashi once remarked that sasuke has a superiority complex.

I was also trying to go more into my writing. Kind of like how the book "Eon" did.(which I command you read) Everything in that book is so fluid, that's what I'm aiming for here. Sorry if my writing appears inconsistent.


	3. The Tale of Naruto Part 2

Chapter 2! I cannot wait to tell you the rest of this story.

Warnings: Language, slight gore, light romance(and bad writing :D)

_  
Naruto is the first to speak. "Who..." Naruto says as he takes a step back, eyeing Menma's shirtless form. " are you?" He raises his arms in a protective manner.

It clicked, Naruto thought of Menma as a whoremonger, or a torture expert.

"My name is Menma." He states as he walked slowly to the other, extending his arm cautiously. He can only imagine what Sasuke has tried to do.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asks as he bends his knees, ready for a fight of sorts.

"..." Menma didn't reply. He honestly doesn't know himself. Pursing his lips, he quickened his pace and moved toward Naruto. Dropping his hand, making a light scuff on his pants.

"Hey! I asked a question!" Naruto says, his voice rising and beginning to show traces of panic. Naruto stepped back closer to the wall. Back leg bending deeper into a crouch.

"I need to talk to you!" Menma retorts, lengthening his stride by double.

"No way!" Naruto yells as he bumps into the wall. Menma chuffs as the boy lightly bounds off the wall, forced to face the intruder.

"Dont you dare get any closer!" Naruto says lowly in a threatening tone.

Menma gets within six feet of the other when Naruto throws a half-hearted kick to Menma's head.  
Menma recognizes the kick. It's something of a ninja manner as opposed to the theives adapt-to-all mechanism.  
He ducks on instinct, the ankle brushing over his coarse black hair.  
Naruto wasn't anticipating the duck, he stumbles on the balancing leg and swings to the other side. Too wild of a kick and too much speed.

Menma grabs the others arm in a flicker of the wrist as it passes his open hand. He then turns Naruto's chest to the wall in a forced manner, as he brought up Naruto's imprisoned arm in a kinked position behind the whipped back. He brought his other hand and held Naruto's firmly against the wall. Menma lightens on the tension as he remembers the harsh torment from Sasuke.  
He winces as the cuts and food leave a residue on his fingers, and he smells the hint of iron.

"Listen." he snarls into Naruto's ear, puffing a few loose strands "I don't know what the hell is going on. I was brought here for a bounty and the next thing I know, I'm a prisoner in a castle." Menma watches as Naruto looses some of the previous tension. He watched as Naruto tried to get to where he could see Menma.

"So, you're not here to bribe me into Uchiha's bed?"

"No. I oppose the Uchiha." Menma says as he pulls away slightly, aware of how close he is.

"Ok. What are you for?" Naruto pulls away from Menma. It's not out of fear, it's to get comfortable in the position. His arm is kinked on his back and his forehead in the wall.

Menma shrugged before answering. "I'm a Theif. I came from the tropic areas. I support no kingdoms, especially the Uchiha." Naruto's body swelled with a sigh of relief against Menma's palm, skin stretching.  
"Thats good. Why does he want you here?" Naruto asks, this time with lighter tones.

"Beats me." Menma said as he pulled away from Naruto. The other began to laugh. Menma felt that he should move away as quickly as possible.

"Finally!" He turns around and Menma can see, even under the veil, that Naruto is grinning. "Something good!" He rose his arms and lightly punched the air. Menma grins, even though he knows his mask won't show it.

Menma looked around the room. A bed was to the far left of the entry door. Beyond that, several closets.

On the right was a large fireplace, two large, posh chairs on either side of the giant mantle with a stool in between them. A pot of what he assumed to be water was boiling in the heart of the flames, pot clattering every few moments.  
A differing room was on the same wall of the fireplace . Everything was colored in the crimson red of roses and cream to white. A bright room, no doubt. The windows made the room brighter in the slowly dropping sun.  
To the right of where he slammed Naruto, there was a door that Menma assumed to be the balcony. Judging by the windows on the same wall, he was right.

He wiped the residue of the blood and food on the hem of his black pants.  
It hit him.  
He looked at Naruto expectantly, who is just standing there, exhaling in relief.

He must've felt Menma staring. Naruto dropped his hands and replied with a confused look.

"Where's the rags, water, and clothes?" Menma said, trying to focus on making the other as relaxed as possible. He'd have to if he wanted an ally.

"In that room." Naruto points to that room on the left. He didn't give Naruto a chance to ask why, and if he did, Menma didn't answer.

"Why? Do you need a- hey wait!" But Menma is already in the room, so this was the bathing room. To his right was a empty stone tub. On the edge was several white cloths. He made a note to take them. What!? Sasuke didn't deserve them! He grabbed two stacks and folded them under his arm. There were white looses bed pants and baggy shirts worn under tunics. He grabbed those too.

He'd use that boiling water in the fire.

"What're you doing?!" Naruto yells as Menma came back out of the room hurriedly and nearly collided into Naruto. He grabbed Naruto's arm and led him to the fireplace.

Against Naruto's confusion, Menma shoves Naruto by the shoulders onto the stool.

"Shush." He orders. Naruto folded his arms and shifted on the stool, waiting for Menma to explain.  
"I'm going to clean your wounds." He says then turns to grab the pot handle and lowers it onto the ground next to Naruto.

When Naruto doesn't reply. Menma looks at him and is greeted with hollow suprise.

"Are you sure? I can do it myself." Menma ignores the question and turns to ask his own.

"Where can I find another stool?" He asked, crouching by the pot.

Naruto surrenders and points to the closest one. Menma walks to it and drags it back, placing it behind Naruto.

"Why are you-" Naruto asks, trying to look at Menma. Turning his body to the other. He is pushed to where his back is facing Menma again. He chuckled at the aggravated response.

Menma slowly reaches at the connecting brooch for the veil material. He touches it and watches as Naruto's body tenses and contracts.

"Do you want me to do this?" Menma asks. A defeated sigh comes from Naruto. "If you feel like it." Naruto isn't sure how to react to the show of care. Part of Sasuke's punishment is to let him be and collect sicknesses.

"Here, wait." Naruto says after getting up and leaving Menma irritated. He reached up on top of the mantle and snatches a small bottle filled with blue liquid. He gave it to Menma before sitting back down.  
"It's a special soap they let me have, it's supposed to help with sickness." Menma arches an eyebrow and pops the cap, then drops a portion of the liquid into hot water.  
His eyes widened as the water turned a yellow then back to reflecting the pot color.

He warily touched it. Marveling when the rest of the food residue pulled away from his skin. Re-focusing his attention on Naruto, he sat down and popped the brooch.

Menma pulls and peels away the veil material. Sticky noises coming through as it separates from blood, flesh, and old food.

He grabs a rag and dips it in the tonic water. Letting the coarse fibers soak before he pulls it out. Then rubbing it slowly across the others back.

Naruto flinched as the sudden heat came in contact with ripped skin, boiling and stinging away the potential diseases.

Twenty minutes passed in thoughtful silence until Menma breaks it.

"Did you know," Menma starts as he resoaks the cloth "that bands of thieves do this after every heist?"

"Clean each other's wounds?" Naruto asks as Menma wipes away another food remenant.  
"Why?"

"It's like a truce, or expressing trust between bandsmen." Menma says as he clears another area of skin.

"Ah. So this is your way of saying you're not gonna hurt me?" Naruto asks cheekily.

"... I guess you could say that." Menma grins quietly through his mask at the others silly analogy. He watches in alarm as Naruto curls his spine when Menma reaches lower.  
"What did I do!" Menma barks.

"Sorry. It's... Touchy down there." and Menma either assumes it's a soft spot, or Sasuke has tried to seduce him many times.  
He grumbles and stuffs that thought away.

"Sorry." Menma apologizes and cleans the area as quickly as possible. Then he moves on to Naruto's injured arms.

He peels away the tomato residue, the infected blood crackling and dropping into the cloth.

Another hour passes. Menma went back to the bathing room to get fresh cloths and bandages for the cleaned and scabbing wounds.

He returns and begins to rewash the wounds. He couldn't help but be meticulous. Heists had to happen. They wouldn't work if a person was injured, cuts had to be thoroughly tended to.

He was used to skin under his fingers. Not in a perverse way, though. It happened nearly every heist. Heck, he wasn't even wearing a shirt, it caught on everything he bypassed and hindered the heist.

He pulls back and let's the water boil again under the heat of the fire.  
As he turns to wrap more of the whip marks, he notices something else.  
Light scars layer Naruto's back. The skin wasn't indented, just lightly pigmented to a brighter shade.

"Why?" Menma asks as he brushes over the cuts.

"Huh?" Naruto says through the veil. Menma pulls back and reaches for the pot, re-soaking a fresh rag.

"Why is the Uchiha doing this to you?" Menma pulls it back an squeezes it to dampness.

"Do you mind a longer story?" Naruto asks.  
"No."

"Well... My family was never royalty." Menma raised an eyebrow.

"Mother and Father were dirt poor. They didn't have anything. No special objects from family, nothing." Menma waited for him to go on. He didn't even know this part of the story.

"Then one day, as Dad was trying to build us a place to stay, a group of thieves passed us by." Menma furrowed his brow. Is this why thieves valued the Namikaze rule?  
"Mom and Dad welcomed the company. Told them they didn't have anything, hardly any food. But these thieves were... Subtle. They didn't see my parents as a harm. So they stayed for the next two nights."

"So what happened?" Menma asks as he straps another bandage on a cut.

"My dad must've been friendly or something because they stayed with them. Helped build a small home with dad, they set up their tents and before they knew it. They became family." Menma sat in silent interest. "So. They supported us. Gave us food when we needed it. Their messengers were sent out around the land and before dad knew what was coming, there were people around. People wanting to be with mom and dad."

Menma dipped the cloth back into the warm water.

"Somewhere along the way, I was born. Mom tells me that the thieves were delighted when I was boy. They joked that I would be trained like a theif." Naruto paused to chuckle. Menma placed the scalding rag on one of the wounds, making Naruto cringe.  
"Dad got more and more support from people. There were homes being built, families making friends, and the thieves dropping their heartless ways." A realization shot through Menma.

"That's were the first law of the Minato Code came from!" Menma exclaimed.  
"Never steal from those who cant have food or hope."

Naruto nodded dismally. "Somewere along the years, dad became a king of sorts. The people decided it. We flourished." Naruto's voice dropped.

"Then the Uchihas came. Real royalty. They wanted to meet my mom and dad, talk with them. That was also when Sasuke came." Menma stiffened at the name.

"Sasuke was always... Jealous of his brother and me. Or just jealous that Itachi and me became friends quicker." Menma could hear the shadow in Naruto's voice.  
"Later, our castle came in. The Uchiha became snobs. Parents totally losing the reins on Sasuke." Naruto clenched a fist. "He became a cynical snob. His brother left the palace. Then it happened."

Menma felt his stomach drop with dread.

"The day our village and castle burned. Then in the midst of the chaos, I saw him. Sasuke stood in the center of the village. Flames all over him. He took me Hostage minutes later."

Menma wants to crush Sasuke, just like Sasuke did to Naruto.

"I was the choice. Either I died, or the people did." Naruto halted and Menma placed a compassionate hand on Naruto's bandage. A silent show of pity.  
"But then," Naruto's voice shadowed again. " When I was ready to die, he offered a third option. I could go as Sasuke's new toy, and everyone lived." Naruto stops because the rest is old news.

The evening has already sunk low.

"Does he hurt you like this everyday?" Menma asked as the wound stopped bleeding and began to scab. He pulled a new bandage on them.

"Nah, he was showing off cause you're here." Menma sighed in relief as he handed Naruto a fresh sleeping shirt and loose pants. He averted his eyes as Naruto changed clothes. An arrow of self-hate shot through Menma's toes and into his skull, it ricochets through his body as he caught understanding of Naruto's words.

"Thanks." Naruto slips on the white garments and turns around to Menma. It's then that Menma sees the veil is still on Naruto's face. He reaches up and asks

"Is it ok if I do this?" Naruto pauses? Contemplating. Naruto hadn't even taken it off on his own.

"Yes." Naruto gives the permission. His voice steady, he believes Menma can handle the odd truth.

Menma peals it back, relieved to see that food was stuck to the material instead of skin. But then, in the firelight and dimming day.

"Do you want me to put it back on?" Naruto asks in a panic. He covers his scars. Menma snaps out his hand and holds Naruto's intruding palm out of the way. Intrigue and confusion laced over his face. Naruto tenses as Menma rubs his thumb against his cuts. Tracing the scars. His brows narrowed in bewilderment Then realization hits him and he snaps his hand away.  
"Do you-"

"Shush. This is bad." Menma says as he reaches behind his neck at the main strap. And lowers it. Naruto gasps in shock when be sees the same whiskers cut into Menma's face. They're just deeper and darker.

"What?" He says when he notices that Menma is a near reflection of himself. Menma's face is slightly harder and more square. His skin tone is just a tad lighter. Then it clicks.

"Sasuke needs us for something." Naruto says in a rush.

"We need to get out of here." Menma said as he made his way to the balcony. He felt the panic pulling at his chest, he was needed for something.

"No wait! You can't!" Naruto yelled at Menma, following him out the window doors. Menma leering over the edge on his stomch. He winces as smooth, cold stone comes into contact with his bare belly.

"I'm a thief, I can get out of any palace!" Menma said as he over looked the palace grounds. He blanched. Guards. Traveling in groups of thirty littered the grounds. Everywhere. It was like an army.

"I warned you!" Naruto said as Menma backed away from the edges of the fence-like railing. Menma pulled himself back together, re-re-evaluating the situation.

"Have you ever tried escape?" Menma asked as he looked back at the other boy. If there was a slight chance and Naruto took it before...

"Sixteen times in the first month." Naruto replied with a smart grin. His mouth twitches in an unknown emotion before he asks;

"Wait, how long have you been here?"

"Going on year two." Menma inhaled loudly, thinking. Menma gained his bearings before talking again.

"Is there no way out of here?" He felt claustrophobic in the tight quarters. Restrained.

"I'm working on it." Naruto answers as if it's the most basic thing in the world. Menma releases some of his tension. Atleast he wasn't clueless. The air becomes silent and calm again as Menma graces his fingers over the fence top. Pulling them back an inch or two as he notices how his stomach is wet.

"I see the dew here gathers early in the northern regions?" Menma asked as he brought a slicked palm up to his eye levels.

"Yeah." Naruto says as he leans against the stone edge. He rings the windchimes on his right that Menma didn't see before. The haphazard music calming his panic, lulling him to relax.

"Do you know what windchimes represent in Chinese feng shui?" Naruto breaks the silence and stares at the metal pipes.  
"No." Menma looks over his shoulder and his square features soften at the longing look on Naruto's face.

"Freedom."

Naruto looks out into the forest past the courtyards. Beyond the disappearing sun and beyond the walls.

Menma knows. He lives as a riffraff thief, the nobles can't hold him in their pesky grasps.  
"Does he ever let you out?" he wants to know if Sasuke ever...

"Yes." Naruto sees the relief flash over Menma's face before bitterly chuckling.  
"On a collar and leash."

Naruto watched as Menma's features harden noticeably. Then an idea flashes through Menma's mind.

"I could convince Sasuke to let us out?" Menma asks and this is met with a confused look from Naruto.

"Why!?"

"I might know someone who can help us. A fellow in the black market." He traces his memory back to the message from the ally. A hint of hope passes through Naruto's eyes.

"Sure, but how are we gonna convince Sasuke?" Naruto waves his hand in a circle. Gesturing at the problem.

"I... Hadn't thought about that." Menma replies in remorse as he turns back to the oversight. Surely there was a way to convince him.

"There may be one way." Naruto says and Menma inclines his head back at the other.

"Sasuke has a really weird way of using his concubines. One can 'claim' a concubine by giving them a piece of signature jewelry. When they wear it, no one has permission to touch them, even Sasuke. Even he respects the rule." Menma lifts a brow at the comment.

"What if he makes an exception for you?"

"He won't. If he's seen disobeying his own laws, he won't be respected."

"What about Sasuke disliking us?" Menma figuratively gets ready to put his hopes under lock and chains.

"...He wouldn't get us... If he didn't like us..." Naruto smiles wryly.

"There has to be a catch?" Menma says, brow narrowing.

Naruto sighs. Inside though, he's tense. "If you are not seen by Sasuke showing... affections, then he has full right to remove the jewelry for reasons like 'Dont buy something you aren't going to use when someone else could." Naruto tenses when Menma stays blank.

"But you aren't a concubine?"

"My status is. But Concubines are willing, they have to be. If I'm willing to, then there is nothing wrong with this agreement." Naruto grins inwardly his own intelligence. Menma forces his face to be devoid of obvious emotions.

"So," His chest flickers lightly at the words. "You want me. To place you as my personal slave." Naruto nods, oblivious to Menma's confusion. "A pleasure slave." Naruto nods again. "And we must," Menma holds out on the word. "interact." Naruto blinks and nods again.

"Hey if you don't want to-"

"No! I'm ok with it. But," He looks at the whiskers. "Are you?"

"Of course! Else I wouldn't have suggested it!" Naruto sounds perfectly ok with acting as a male concubine.

"But I-" Menma is interrupted.

"Hey, I'm ok with people who steal that treasure. You seem to be also." Naruto says freely.

"...If you say so." Menma says before blinking and shaking his head. "I can go along with it."

A silence is blanketed over the two. Naruto thinking of how to get Sasuke to fall for it and hoping with all his hope that Menma knows what to do to convince Sasuke.

"What is considered interaction between concubine and master? At the most basic level?" He wants to know, badly.

"Kissing. And I think showing possessiveness." Naruto ponders. "Sasuke will tell you when you ask." Menma exhales in relief. It's not as bad as he was thinking.

"Have you ever?" Naruto doesn't have to finish. The subtext is clear. Menma pauses before trying to answer.

"I-"

A knock on the door interupts them. Menma makes fast moves to reassemble his mask, fastening the key strap. He and Naruto walk side by side to the middle of the room before Naruto answers

"Come in." Sasuke walks in, arrogance wafting in the room like perfume. Menma feels Naruto's dread and despise. Two bodyguards accompany him, Menma recognizes them as the same ones from the day at the beach.

"I have returned." Sasuke says with controled politeness.

"So I see." Menma replies with a bitter edge.

"Menma, could I show you to your quarters? The princes escort?"

'Heh, when the numbskull tries, he can be quite charming.' Menma chides within his mind.

"Actually, I have a request, my prince." Menma tries to forget the way he treated Sasuke earlier. Then rips that thought away. He and Naruto are his favorites.

"Oh?" Sasuke raises an eyebrow. His polite facade slipping for a millisecond. "What is it?"

"Naruto tells me his status is that of a concubine." Menma forces himself not to grin shrewdly as Sasuke's alert face slips into something much more sinister.  
"Yes."

"Is it possible to claim concubines, from anyone else's attention? Naruto does not seem to hate me." He gestured to the person beside him.  
"Yes."

Sasuke's eyes narrow observantly. He knew it was a bad idea to let them be alone.

"May I?" Menma asks. He never knew he was such a good actor, but he doesn't know if its enough for Sasuke.

Menma can see Sasuke's disapproval shimmering in his eyes. If what Naruto said was right, he would follow his own rules. Shrewd realization flickers on Sasuke's eyes. Menma fears he has said no.

"Show me." Sasuke says with a low commanding tone.

"Huh?" Menma is thrown off guard at the other not declining the request.

"My concubines must be willing. Show me Naruto is willing. Kiss him on the cheek." Sasuke is trying not to let his satisfaction show through. He knows Naruto is anti-intimacy. If Menma can instill this much dominance...

Menma reached left hand behind Naruto, curls it around the ear in a hooking manner and pulls Naruto's cheek toward him. He used his free hand to pull down the mask to where his lips and nose were visible.  
Then leaned in.  
His lips meet the lower area of Naruto's cheekbone. His lower lip lightly graces the top whisker indention and Menma let's his eyes lower to see when then skin warms and colors under his lips.  
It's softish. He can smell the odd soap he placed on Naruto. He presses close enough until his nose lightly bumps the flesh.

Naruto leans into Menma's kiss lightly. It's barely there, but he knows Sasuke saw it. Naruto's eyes slide over to Menma's. The others eyes are low-lidded, looking at Naruto's pinking cheek. His eyes, Naruto now sees that they are more like aqua-blue. Before he can look anymore, Menma pulls away, eyes still slightly glazed, and slowly looks back at Sasuke.

Even in their sudden haze, they both have to hold back the powerful urge to laugh at Sasuke. His face was covered in traces of anger, coveting, envy, disbelief and jealousy.

"What color and type of jewelry object would you like to claim Naruto with?"

_  
TBC

Um... Wow. That was my first uh... Wuvey-Dovey moment that I've ever taken seriously.

So...Ahem (gets self together) how was it? I told you Naruto's past, how he got into the Uchiha Palace, then I gave the slash lovers some MenNaru potential.

((If this becomes yaoi, please note that I HATE it when there are moments of "His breath caught in his throat and the Animators inserted a white background with flowery petels. He felt the first signs o-" -bricks- No. I don't write like that. It's unrealistic.))

This story is cruising along nicely, hey?

Review to rant at me how I can't write womance scenes :D


	4. The Streets

Ohay readers! Enjoy!

"Pardon?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't tell you about how claiming the concubines work. You see-"

As Sasuke leads them out of the room and into the place where the jewelry is contained, he tells him how it works.

To sum it up, Menma style, Sasuke came up with this system of claiming from an old thieves tale. One Menma was surprised Sasuke knew about. It was a story that followed the path of a black-hearted jackal. The jackal had learned how to take things without respect. Things of true worth to the heart. He was caught by a treasure hunter, ironically. The jackal begged for his life, and the treasure hunter was merciful. On one condition. He gave important things back to whom he took from.

Menma was unsure of how Sasuke knew this story. It was only known in the bands of thieves. Not royalty. And Sasuke was using it as a metaphor when it really men't 'don't get caught'.

"Menma, you're a thief. I'm sure you've heard that tale before?" Sasuke broke Menma out of his bitter thoughts.

"Yes I have." He paused before going on. "It's a lesson to young thieves. Don't get caught. Not 'start working as a slave because you can't get paid as a slut." Menma bites at Sasuke's precious ego.

Sasuke brushes his shoulder before changing the subject. "The city works timely through a system of bells. The gong chimes in the morning to tell everyone to go to work. The midday gong states noon-lunch. The third, go home. The fourth, sleep." Menma pays attention. He might need to know this for an escape plan.

"It's three hours until the final bell. That is why I wanted to show you your room, but seeing as you have... Preferences." Sasuke tensed at the word before sharply looking at Naruto. "I believe we'll have some extra time."

"Ah. I see." Menma says as he's reminded of his previous... Interactions with the blonde boy next to him. Even though he's wearing a mask, he stuffs that thought veeeeerry far into his mind.

"Uchiha," Menma starts. He was gambling but he could try. "Why do you need someone like me? A royalty, wanting a thief from the tropics?"

Sasuke smirks before raising a finger and waving it back and forth. "Nah Ah! That's for me to know and you to find out. You can't leave anyway, so best make yourself comfortable in the palace." Sasuke finishes before looking at Naruto again. Menma grumbled to himself how he knew about it. The group faded into silence. Only the clank of the bodyguards armor filling the asian halls.

Sasuke stopped abruptly in front of a door near the edge of the hallway. "This is the jeweling room." Sasuke says as the two prisoners go inside. They take a sharp left into the narrow hall before seeing another door, edges illuminated by the orange light peaking through.

Naruto opened the door and Menma briefly wondered if it was his first time in here. He assumes yes. Since Naruto has never been willing. Judging by his reaction, Menma assumed right.

The room was lit in an orange color. In the center was a large wooden desk with a bright blond lady behind it. He marveled at how big the room was. Gems glittered everywhere in the candlelight. On the glass racks, walls, in cases. He then assumes it to be an example of how many people use the concubines.

The blond lady catches Sasuke's eye, then Menma, then her gaze drops onto Naruto and her whole form jumps in shock.

He briefly notes that she is wearing a purple dress, her hair is covering half her face, said hair is also tied in a bun with a black hair piece. Her eyes are a bright green.

"No." She exclaims before looking at them all again. "No one has.." She says this before getting out from behind the desk to greet them all. She and Sasuke pass kisses on the cheek in a greeting of acquaintances before she pulls back to look at them.

Menma keeps a calm mask of dangerous indifference, but he's very confused. This woman didn't greet in an Asian fashion. Instead, she did something that the western people did; Spanish people exchanged kisses on the cheek? What was going on?

"Prince, did you-?"

"No I didn't." Sasuke holds up a hand to silence her then gestures to Naruto and Menma. "HE did." Sasuke tries not to grit out.

She completely looses focus on Sasuke and paces over to the two. Menma reached to Naruto behind everyone else's eyesight, and lightly touches his arm with his fingers. A cautious action.

She did something else. Turn around. It was a death wish in the Asian lands. Not that it mattered, Menma didn't follow customs and it didn't look like Naruto did either.

"You..." She looks Menma up and down with her visible eye. She lowered her voice. "You did it? After Sasuke has tried for a year or more?" She exclaimed.

"..." Menma stares at her in confusion.

"You must really be something." She looks him over again. "Hm. You look a bit rugged and... Outlawish. Fitting to Naruto.." Menma hopes that she didn't see Sasuke bristle at the comment.

"Come with me." Menma pulls Naruto by then arm, indicating for him to follow, then let's go when Naruto walks behind him.

"Oh!" They both simultaneously jump. "I didn't give my name. I'm Ino. Here as the jewelist." Menma raises an eyebrow at the made-up word. "I'm here to help you pick the right gem-piece for your...ah.. Companion." She says. Seeing how touchy they both seemed to be.

"What's the most obvious type." Menma asks in calm, controlled tones.

"Necklaces. As long as you don't wear any hindersome, and expensive robes." Ino says as she drags him off to a necklace rack. Naruto following in silent tow.

"Here, look at these." She stops him at one of the necklace racks.

He can't believe his eyes. Necklaces of every color, shape, and form must exist on the rack. His brain is overloading with mental notes to tell his fellow thieves and pirate friends to take it all from the undeserving Uchiha. Along with his own hands wanting to grab them.

"Are you looking for something in specific?" Ino peps.

"I.."

And thus the problems of shopping began.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was stewing in a huge pot of red, angry, boiling rage.

Menma was needed for one thing only, and that was his only use.

He was NOT supposed to take Naruto from him.

Maybe they had a plan of sorts going. Then again, maybe not.

Menma and Naruto were alike...

They had tried several necklaces at Naruto's neck. None of them were as popping as Naruto's eyes and hair.

"Agh! Ino!" Naruto handed back a large beaded necklace to the jewelist.

Menma reached up high and pulled down something that struck his eye. It was a wire band that wrapped around the neck tightly. Coming off the band were bright green to bright blue three-inch long slabs of jade.

"Oooh. Your master has found a good one!" Ino says and plucks the necklace open. Menma shivers at 'master'. "Oh wait! I usually let the master put on the items that they choose, everyone seems to like it, here." She flipped the necklace back into Menma's palm and stepped back. Menma followed and placed himself behind Naruto. He used every bit of his willpower not to be bothered by the scorching glare being sent his way from Sasuke.

He pulled the cord around Naruto and began to fasten the clinking device. He brushed Naruto's neck and placed the edges of his hands on Naruto's neck and shoulder area when Naruto doesn't react.

"Wow! You have a good eye!" Ino says as she flips Naruto around so Menma can see. He backs up. He wasn't aware of how close Naruto was when he was putting on the necklace. First it's Naruto's eyes and hair that catch his attention. Then the jades catch his eye. The contrasting colors working nicely here, the jade being a blatant 'I'm owned' stamp. He averts his gaze when Naruto pulls away from his observing eyes. Hey, he respects the other's space. If Naruto was uncomfortable, he'd back off.

"Such good eyes for color and style!" She says, giving Naruto the "up and down look" "First we see his pretty face, he then we see he's taken! Oh! Everyone will be jealous to see that Naruto is placed to YOU!" Ino jumps with her words and both boys tried to not think how true her words were.

"I believe you are done here." Ino says before pushing the boys to Sasuke and getting behind the desk again. They follow Sasuke out of the jeweling room and regain their bearings after the positive, peppy girl.

"Prince." Menma starts. Another chess piece in play.

"Hm?" Sasuke is dragging out his one-syllable replies, he's angry.

"Since Naruto is now mine. Is it possible to go out of the palace and buy thing for our later... Moments?" Menma curses himself for being so forward. He might've costed them the plan to the markets. Sasuke does not reply for several minutes. Menma is beginning to think that Sasuke didn't hear, and he could try again.

"Certaintly." Sasuke turns to face the two. "You won't escape. Guards layer the markets, go ahead."

"Thank you." Menma tries not to exhale in relief. Naruto's walk sways lightly and Menma knows he's done it. He could've sworn to his thieving jackal brethren that he could see the gears and cogs turning in Sasuke's brain. Was he imagining something perverse? Whips? No, he wouldn't do that.

Shaking himself of the previous thoughts, he pulled His body towards Naruto and they began to walk side by side. Sasuke stopped in front of another door and guestured "We're here." He let Menma personally open the the door. He didn't let his surprise show when he saw that it was the same room that he'd just been in before the jeweling.

"Oh sorry. I forgot to tell you that this WAS your room." Sasuke said with a sneer.

'Hm. Seems like a trick question.' Menma thought to himself as he analyzed the situation. 'Theres no way he could've forgotten. Since Naruto was already in the room and seemed quite comfy in it... Then that means prolonged exposure to each other must mean something. Or he was just testing Menma.'

"I see." Menma states as he enters the room and Naruto follows in suite. Sasuke grumbles at Menma's less-than-angry response.

"The gong will chime in an hour and a half. Is there anything else you want to ask?" 'Yes.' Menma scoffs in his mind. 'How the fuck do you know about my scars?'

"No. Thank you." Menma grits through his mask. Sasuke nods, gestures to his bodyguards, and shuts the door. It's the second time in the day they have to wait until the footsteps fade. Both teens exhale in release. Menma walked over to the bed and pulls his mask off, exposing Naruto to the marks again. He's brought out of his stupor when Naruto exclaims;

"Shit, it actually worked." Naruto says as he pops out of his relaxed state and looks at Menma expectantly. "So, Menma. Do you have any idea where this friend of yours is?" He jumps on the bed next to Menma. "And, we don't even know where the slave shop is." He curses under his breath as he realizes that Naruto is right.

"We'll figure out something." He says as he pulls his mask off entirely. No fabric dangling down, just Menma's face.

"I'm confused." Menma watched as the eyes pulled to him. "The palace is clearly Asian. Yet, that jewlist was clearly from the western regions?" Naruto lights up at the question.

"Ah, that. Sasuke and his parents aren't really, orderly. This is actually a place of many cultures. Ino is, like you said, from the western region. Where spaniards were. Her mom was from further north, but Ino was raised in that part before she was.. Here. That's why, there really isn't a proper system of bowing and the like. As long as you show respect to nobles, they don't care."

"I understand." Menma says before silence covers the room.

"Y'know, you're pretty good of an actor." Menma isn't sure if it's a compliment or... "I couldn't have done it." Naruto finalizes as he flops back onto the bed, then crawls over to his supposed side of the crimson sheets. Menma looks back as the other crawls under the blanket.

Naruto is... Brighter than Menma. Has more joy. Despite all the chaos of the Uchiha, he can see that Naruto would be a fun person if his life was under control again. Or Sasuke left the room.

Menma places his mask under the pillow and begins unstrapping the main hooks on his armwarmers. Doing the same to his sandals. He slowly gets under the blanket, brow knitting when he feels how thick it is.

"It get freezing in here during the nights. Northernly regions Y'know?" Menma blinks in understanding. He pulls himself deep in the blanket and forgets all the events of the days in his sleep.

When Menma awoke, everything came crashing back in waves of memory. He groaned and dug himself under the covers, curling them around him in a big, fluffy cocoon.

Somewhere in his morning mind, he scolds himself as childish. Bracing himself for a harsh change in temperature, he folded the covers over his lower body and sits up.

His skin gets chilled and bumpy at the contact of cooler air. The shock caused his torso to clench and shudder under the frosty temperature. Reaching under his pillow for the mask, he notes that Naruto was right, and that it was freezing his skin.

Although the mask and arm-warmers were of little help, he felt less exposed in case a servant popped in.

Lightly as possible, he got away from the bed and made a move toward the balcony. When he opened the doors, the sound of silence covered the morning. Ignoring the frost that freckled the fence, he peered onto the streets below.

People we're setting up shop and soldiers were getting ready for another day. Menma assumed that the first bell hadn't rung yet, he presumed that there was enough time to go over a plan with Naruto. Speaking of which...

Naruto had already arose from the bed and was scuffling around to find something. Menma could hear him. Menma abandoned the balcony, closed the doors, and paced to the fireplace. The soft memory of binding the others wounds still rests there with the pot and soap. Dirty and clean rags still layering each other.

Menma grabbed the pot and placed it back over fire the stacked the cloths back into place. Naruto walked next to him as Menma stood up. "You slept in the pants?" He asked and Menma could've sworn there was a light discoloration on his cheeks but passed it off as a imagination.

"Yes." Menma replied as he turned and plopped into one of the large chairs.

"Take off the mask. It makes you look more approachable." Menma cautiously did so and put it on the armrest.

"Here." Naruto said as he grabbed two cups off of the mantle handing one to Menma. "Minted Water. For morning to wake you up." Menma nodded and drank the sweetened water before setting it on the floor.

"So how're we gonna do this?" Naruto says as he mirrored Menma and sat in the other large chair. "I want to take you to the market. If we don't return with something... Sasuke will suspect." Menma let his gaze drop to Naruto's chest. He'd changed clothing. Into a simple cream and brown outfit. Made his eyes pop, along with the necklace.

"Yeah. Get something dangerous." Menma lifts his eyes to the other's water-blue.

"Why?" Menma raised an eyebrow and he could've sworn for a moment that Naruto was flirting with him.

"Make Sasuke jealous. Make him think that you are doing all the things to me that he wanted to do first." Naruto had a very valid point.

"Like... " Menma tries to think what would work.

Apparently, Naruto thought it was a question.

"Whips, chains, gags, reins and-"

"That's enough!" Menma says a bit louder than he wants to as mental images flood his mind.

Naruto's smirk wasn't helping the mental dam either.

Menma cursed the lack of mask.

"Held back." Naruto giggles. "But from the sound of it. We won't have to act like we're knocking each other in the wall every night. Only near Sasuke." A knock interrupts Naruto. Menma thanks his lucky stars that it shut Naruto up from his... Subtext.

Menma makes a move to answer it first. The door opens to a small Spanish woman holding a scroll. "From His Majesty." She says before shoving the paper into Menma's hands and dashing down the hallway.

"Here." Menma says as hands the scroll to Naruto. He glared at Naruto for his previous...sugestions before returning to his mask.

"Shit. Menma, c'mere." Naruto says in a hushed panic as he hands the scroll to Menma. He rereads it eight times before looking in horror.

_"New sub-law, Those with concubines_ must-"Menma skips that_. "Once a day for a week. Else there pets will not stay with them." _ The royal seal marking it as Sasuke's, stands proudly.

"Looks like I spoke too soon." Naruto says while his palm covered his face.

"I..." Menma couldn't find the words to express his dread over the situation. A bell rung through the air. Time to leave.

"We have to go. Get away from Sasuke's prying eyes. We need to go to the market place." The two boys made their way out if the castle as fast as they could. Naruto knew the layout well enough to go outside.

By every possible chance, they encountered Ino. "Oh my!" She says, a bit startled. "Menma, was it? What were you doing?" She eyes the two suspiciously.

"I was taking my, pet, out to get some materials." Ino catches on immediately and makes way for the to follow. Menma swears to his jackal brethren that she had a flirty look to her.

"Are you going to the markets? I have no idea how to get to the pleasure shop." He can't believe these words are coming out of his mouth. So steady too. A wry smile smile flickers over Ino's face.

"You'll know it when you see it."

As the pair travels down the streets, Menma can't help but hear how the villagers keep looking and commenting.

"He did it."

"Who is he?"

"Looks better for the Prince of Thieves."

"Has more respect for his... Than Sasuke."

"Princes...Thieves."

"What are they talking about?" Menma asks quietly as he pulls Naruto closer.

"I'm called Prince of Thieves because thieves were the first people my dad made connections with. And they think you and I look nice together." Menma scowled in embarrassment.

"I know where my friends is. We'll see him first."

"I'm go." Naruto says as he follows Menma's lead. Menma is surprised how cooperative Naruto is. Menma thanks his luck that Naruto went with plans. Now that he thought about it, why did Naruto have his scars? Did that mean there was something he didn't know about his past? After all, you are never BORN with cuts, someone has to hurt you, unless you come from a crazy cult.

He sighed and turned his attention to the people that didnt look at him. A German family was selling sausage, they looked like they'd found peace in the ominous Uchiha rule. He smiled fondly as the daughter of three was hoisted into her daddy's arms.

Another woman was pointing at the two boys, whispering to a guard. He nodded and Menma stifled the urge to run. Seems to be he wasn't trusted.

He tugged Naruto down a different path, away from the trouble, then the Family burns back to his memory.

He didn't know where he'd come from. He was raised by a dirt poor man and woman. He was content.

Until The day they told him that he wasn't their son. That someone in a cloak had begged for them to take Menma.

And who would deny the life of a child?

He told them that he thanked them for taking him in, that they would always be his parents and no one else.

His journey took him to be an adopt of the thieves. He proved his worth, they took him in. He would never forget the name of the man that took him in; Jala.(1)

He'd been thieving from rich people ever since. Not for money, but for clues on his face and past.

He turned into the darker side of the market and made his way to the spot where he presumed was that peculiar little shop.

It was dangerous here. Guards lurked the alleys, pointing at drunken beggers. Drug lords meeting and contracting, oh yes. Living as a thief men't seeing all the underground workings.

When they appeared at the flimsy shack in the middle of the market, Naruto raised an eyebrow. It looks like the Ichiraku stand, except in drab colors and the curtain is whole and all the way to the floor.

Menma pulled up the curtain and went inside with Naruto at his heel. It's hot and stifled in the place, but Menma does not care. From what he can tell, Naruto won't either.

"Riku!"(2) Menma yells into the abyss.

"Menma? Is that you?" A young adult with long silvery hair in a black cloak comes from the shadows. He carries a blue lamp. He has a blindfold on.

"It's me. I'm in trouble."

"Do you need a place to stay?" Riku asks in urgency. Understanding comes through his body language.

"Why are you here? Why are you in the Uchiha kingdom?"

"I'm here as a prisoner."

"Who's with you, and why?" Riku asks as he can't see.

"This will explain everything. Take a peek." Menma shuffled his mask down. Riku pulled up a portion of the blindfold and reveals a green eye. He looks at Menma and Naruto in shock.

"Your scars, what're you doing here?" Riku flips the blindfold back.

"I'm not staying to find out. Naruto is coming with me." Menma says as he flips the mask back on.

"The Namikaze... I can help." Riku says before going on.

"You want to escape. When?" Riku pulls out a scroll that Naruto didn't see before and lays it out on the table.

"Tommorow evening." Menma lays a fist on the table and Naruto gives him a bewildered look. "How?" Menma replies with a smirk. "As long as he has a transport. A horse... We can figure something out."

"I will give you backup." Another confused stare from Naruto. "You'll know it when you see it."

Twenty minutes of plotting go by in a lengthy manner before they have a concrete plan.

"Since the castle GROUNDS are covered. The only way out is UP." Riku finishes.

A voice punctures the roasty space.

"Men! Head out! Don't stop until ye have the prisoners." Riku could tell that it was them. That's what they wanted.

"You must finish your business in the market, quickly. You will have my support. Now go!"

"Thank you, Riku." Menma finishes as he exits. No doubt Sasuke is looking for them.

The moment they walk out, they are yelled at from behind.

"STOP THIEVES." And it's music to Menma's ears.

"Scatter." Menma and Naruto split from eachother's sides in opposing directions.

_ TBC

1. If you caught the Bionicle reference, Awesome.

2. If you caught the Kingdom Hearts reference, Even Better.

Sorry if it feels rushed toward the end. I don't wanna give away the plan. And, I've never done THAT kind of dialogue before.

And, I'll be losing my IPhone soon. Can't write on the notes after that. Mom and Dad are gonna cut me from it to pay for something else.

Expect slower updates(is shot)

Pluss, something about the slash hints is so addictive to write.

I feel dwarfed by all these SasuNaru fanfictions that have 1k and 500 reviews. But then I have to remember that I am aiming for a very small group of people that support MenNaru. So yerr. Bye-Bye!


	5. What We've Learned and Known

Chapter?

AN: I am so **SORRY**. I tried to make this chapter extra long. 7000 words is a bunch for me and my newbie writin'. Computer was malfunctioning and yeah...SO, there is a gift in this one ;P

Scatter." Menma whispered, and the two split in opposing directions. He wasn't sure if his instincts were a danger-bringing guidance, or a protecting device.

No time to pull the other back, Naruto was already darting through and between the walls, and Menma had already looped himself onto the roof.  
He could only wish that Naruto was smart and strong enough to deal with the soldiers coming his way. As the shingles and loose rocks crunched and grinded under his feet, he briefly felt right at home.  
His mind flashed to all the other heist' he'd been on and a lukewarm happiness chilled his spirit and sinew.  
He smiled as a dagger narrowly missed his back.  
This was freedom.  
This was a little boy pulling a prank on his sister and running from her feminine fury.  
This was being chased in a childish game of tag, knowing you were faster than the tagger.  
This was happiness.  
Two individual arrows flickered and snapped past his left shoulder. He grinned and caught an arrow that was aimed for his head.

"Try again!" He barked and sent the arrow to the streets with a flick of his wrist. The idiots were always trying to hit the head, no matter the opponent. If they had any snap-strategy skills, they'd aim for the legs to stop him.

He tucked his legs into his bare chest, sent his arms in the air and soared like a cannonball to a roof of a smaller building.  
For one elated moment, he was untouchable, unrestricted. He was flying. And nothing could hold him down. Not the unknown locks of his origin, the nobles that followed his every step, and not even the suffocating Uchiha palace with it's lack of family.  
The second-long high left his body, but it stayed in his heart and spirit. This joy. It was like the perfect balance of cool winds and warm sun on a fall day. And the explicit happiness belonged to him.  
He rolled into his landing, head ducked and flipping diagonally to lessen the strain on his spine and halted the fierce momentum with a crouch. Heart still soaring with joy, he lept down into the hidden alley.

"That'll give em' a jump." He murmured in mischief. Menma pulled into the shadows, waiting, listening for the unorganized shuffle of guards. Thieves were much more stealthy. Everyone knew their place, had at least eight back-up plans, and sent by their strengths and weaknesses. It was perfectly aligned so that if troubled should ever come, every one knew what to do and who to guard. On the other hand.

"Fire that arrow!" Menma pricked his ears at the gruff voice.

"But sir! I've never-" a shrill, younger, newer recruite.

"Do it now!" The bitter misguided twang landed on a sack. Menma could hear it. Soldiers, on the front of the house. Inside the house. The sack was near the window. They were trying to scare him, see if their prize was even there. Menma didn't even bat an eyelid as the younger one retrieved the arrow and made his way to the others.  
They were going to fan out. They always did.  
Menma darted away from his hiding spot and into the center of the town. From where they walked from, a large axis in the road lay in the center of the markets. All leading to the general areas of; Lower, Commoner, Aristocrat, Noble. The noble, of course, being back to the palace was where he needed to go. It was a gamble of luck and quick thought, but he didn't care. He'd given them the worst slip they could ever dream of, Right under their nose. And Menma got away with it.

O0o0o0o

Naruto wasn't one for looping himself up the roofs. He would rather outrun his prey. A year of living in the Uchiha, the belly of the beast, taught one to have quick reflexes and an even sharper wit.  
He had hoped that the encores of thief training never left him, and he was right.  
He was never one to make long, drawn out plans. He'd rather come up with them on the snap.

Proven to be true, as he pitched a skull-sized pot at soldier's head.

It hit, hard.  
Naruto bolted away from that point of the shops and made way to the basket weaver's set up. The man gave him a curious look as Naruto pulled a larger basket over his crouched form, hiding. The thunder of footsteps along the streets. Eight to ten men. Blundered past the upside-down basket and split into groups of sixteen. Naruto giggled as he pulled up the basket and set it down at the normal.

"Thanks." He whispered. The man caught the glint of the jewels around his neck and shook his head. Crazy things happened these days. Naruto picked up a rock that was twice the size of his foot and hurled it at the commander. A dull thunk of hardened earth and shaped back collided and made the man look back after stumbling two steps. He turned to bark at the brat who dared insult him and was met with a foot to the face.

"You CUNT!" He pulled back and massaged his face. Naruto responded by tying a loose rag around his eyes.

"At the palace, Bi-Shendo." Naruto kicked dust into the face before sprinting down to the axis. That was one of the guards who had held him down when Sasuke did one of his many attempts to control the Thief-raised boy. Naruto bolted around the corner and thanked his lucky stars that they always made a move IN FRONT instead of BEHIND.

He leaped over a stack of cabbage, dodged a group of traveling people, and cartwheeled inbetween a group of circus people.  
All accompanied with a 'sorry' 'pardon me' 'excuse me' 'comin' through'. Ok maybe they didn't like his hurry-scurry motions, but hey, when ya gotta go, better go.

He could clearly see the axis now.  
If he was right, Menma would be here. If they could be in the palace, it would erase any evidence that they'd even been in the streets. Grunting, Naruto hoisted himself on a low roof and made sure that no one would see him. It briefly crossed his mind "why were the guards chasing him?" They hadn't done anything wrong... Unless Sasuke was too much of a royal puss that he couldn't bear the thought of his most wanted to be with another.  
Discarding the thought before it distracted him, he crouched on a roof that overlooked the axis.

The X in the middle of street was void of any soldiers. It didn't surprise him.

The axis was the place for townsfolk and the like to crossover to all the other portions of the city. It also was the place where all the food was. People liked snacks on their crossover.

Plus, lots of people walked from one side to another, it was a smart move to place a sweet-bread shop in the axis. He smirked and scanned the streets for a sign of his companion. Sure enough, Menma was lurking through the smaller zigzaged alleys. Guards were fanning out in the opposite directions of both boys. Naruto grinned and leaped down from his perch to meet the other boy. He passed several shops and rounded through the correct alley. Menma jumped three feet into the air when he saw Naruto.

"You made it out?" Menma said after shaking off his girlish surprise. Naruto walked closer, placing his hand on the other's bare shoulder and whispered.

"Why."

"I don't know." Menma said through his mask.

"I didn't find anything." Menma pulled his vision to the ground in the silence of contemplation.

"Sasuke doesn't know when to stop." Naruto pulled his hand away from the other. "You haven't even done anything serious yet." Naruto stopped his train of thought as it left his tongue. Complaining never makes the problem go away.

Menma growled. There was nothing. Was Riku's spot marked by Sasuke? Did he miss something?

"We need to get back to the palace and make it look like nothing happened. Are you injured?"

"Nay." Naruto scoffed. Just because bandages were wrapped didn't mean he had to do re-wrap them everytime.

"Alright. Let's head out." Menma pulled the other by the sleeve and let go when they came into the open. No soldiers. The two made a curved beeline for the palace road. Dust clouded around their ankles as they attempted to maintain a calm, I'm-not-being-chased air to eachother. Naruto pulled himself by Menma's side.  
The after-glee of giving Bi-Shendo the slip still buzzing in his mind. True he'd get another beating but for last weeks attempt, he deserved the dust. They rounded the last shop and hid in an alley as they listened for any hint of the soldiers. None. Menma let out a shaky sigh.

"This is what I live for."

"What?"

"This is my freedom." They rounded the shops in silence.

Menma's ears twitched at a whisper that was elicited from the gossiping people.

"Wait." Menma whispered and shot his hand in front of Naruto, signaling to slow down, nearly stop.

"I heard," A woman, late thirties, with three others. "That these thieves do outrageous scandals!" A overly-shocked chorus of gasps followed.

"Well, I heard that this one group dressed like crazy animals and women." Shocked gasps and murmurs followed. "I think their band name was Youkaikou?" Menma forced himself not to say anything.

"No honor." His brows furrowed. That was the worst insult to EVER tell a thief.

"Who can say they HAVE a drop of honor? I mean, well seducing men and women for money then." Menma couldn't stand it.

A rock sailed within inches of the gossiping womans face.

And a hand followed soon after, pining the person to the wall. Menma fisted the lousy material and began to interogate.

"Listen." He snarled. "I come from the Youkaikou." Her face went to that of horror and terror. Menma swatted away one of the braver women with his free hand when she tried to pull him back.

"My name is Daishi! I own several homes and properties! Take your hands off!" She attempted to gain some backbone but Menma pulled her dress up, lifting her.

Menma barked a laugh. "I'm from that well known band of thieves. For the record, that raid was done under a Chinese dragon costume. We worked very hard to get some information on a small tome of keys and locks." He lifted her higher.

"I said take your hands off, NOW!" She tried to yell. "I'm from a higher family, I deserve respect!" She cowed.

"Aww wook at dat!" Menma mocked her shrill voice then turned back into a snarling jackal. "Another bitch trying to use her reputation as cover." He was now suspending her off the ground.

"In case you didn't notice, I'm a thief. We don't care who you are, we don't do royalty and that useless respect thing that obviously never works." She shuddered, he could feel the skin and cloth shivering in fear.

"I'm sorry." She quaked. Menma glowered at her before making a fist with his free hand.

"Bitch, you shouldn't even have been talking about it. Didn't your hoity-toity maids ever tell you; 'The Golden Rule'?" She nodded, tears crowding the edge of her eyelides.

"Don't spread rumors in the streets. You have no clue who's listening." He snarled before dropping her and glaring at the other women.

"Goes for you too." He said, eyes scanning the women that cowered under his gaze. "Talk about things when you are for certain no one knows." He walked out of the group of women, one scrambled and fell to get out of his way. The women scurried away into the other side of the streets.

"I think I love you." Naruto gaped at his companion before become bitter. "That bitch needed it. Always talking about other people, never truthfully." Naruto kicked a stone. "Talked about me too." Menma brushed his fingers along Naruto's arm, a sign to follow.

"She insulted the honor." Menma said lowly. Head downcast. "We steal because we are never wanted anywhere else." Naruto pulled his stride closer to Menma, fingertips brushing. "I steal because I want to know where I came from." Naruto didn't say anything, but Menma knew he was listening. "Because if no one will tell, going against law to know... It's worth it."

"..." Naruto doesn't know what to say, he never did.

"Naruto..." Menma looked at the other. "Do you see me as scum, or a human without knowledge?" Naruto drew back in shock. What the woman had said was getting to him?

"Nah." Naruto looked back toward the street. "You have a better goal." Naruto murmured. Menma didn't reply. It was touchy. The question if thieves were trash, or a proud group with honor... No one had the answer. It worried every single thief. Their blabbering conscience, or the deed itself. Menma cleared his head. As long as they acknowledged that the items that they took had been of true value, it was acceptable. He shook himself of the woman insulting his group's honor. He had more than what they ever could hope to have.

"Sorry." Menma mumbled.

"Don't be. I'd have done the same thing if they insulted my parents." Naruto took the show of emotion with an open mind. Silence accompanied the two in a welcomed manner.

For Menma, he could only hope that Naruto wasn't offended or uncertain with him.  
Naruto was hoping that Menma didn't see him as ignorant or uncaring.

Their moments of contemplation was broken when The call of a high-pitched man rang into the streets.

"All bow! Bow for Prince Uchiha Sasuke!" A murmur was sweeping over the streets. Sasuke was personally marching though the streets. Which was off. He was wearing his black armor again. A small group of bodyguards tailing him. Menma scoffed under his mask. So boastful. As Sasuke saw them, his stride became a little quicker. Menma watched as people fell like cards around him.

"Stop." Naruto flicked Menma's fingers with his own. "It intimidates him." Naruto chuffed. When Sasuke came within ten meters of the others, he halted and arched an eyebrow.

"Bow." Sasuke said, placing a hand on the sword hilt. Menma figured that Naruto wanted to do this himself.

"We got your little welcoming party." Naruto sneered.

"Bow." Sasuke kept a face carefully void of emotion.

"No."

"Bow or I'll whip you again."

"Tell that to Bi-Shendo. He had a fun time with a foot to his face." Sasuke scowled even darker at the statement.

"Menma." He stated, trying a new tactic. "You said you were taking your slave to the Pleasure Shop. Why do you not have supplies?"

"Excuse my inability to shop and save my life at the same time."

"Fair enough. I was just calling you for a... Late morning snack, sweet-breads?" Sasuke was trying to kick his charm into high-gear again.

"Oh?" Menma counters.

"Yes." Sasuke bites out. "I need to discuss a plan with one of my fellow nobles and would be delighted if you joined."

"All that," Naruto cuts Menma off before he could say anything. "For a silly tea-party?" Naruto giggles.

"Do we have a choice?" Menma really doesn't want to know what the sadist has in mind.

"Of course not." Sasuke smiles and walks foreword. "You will come, I can make sure of it." Naruto briefly glances at Menma with a look that says. 'just go.' Menma nods at Naruto and they walked toward the group of people. Menma's mind was going faster than a sea snake.  
He fought the bubbling panic in his chest. The fear of being found out was overbearing and huge. He scrambled to figure out the Uchiha's motive. As the pair walked to the palace, guards began closing in on them. Three in back, two at the front, two at both sides...

Man, Uchiha was a bi-polar person. He didn't look around for escape point. Menma knew very well that if he attempted anything, they would instantly be on him. And Naruto. He was worried now, stupid Sasuke. He nearly ruined everything.

Then it hit him, hard.

Why did Sasuke want Menma and Naruto? His panic dissolved. He replaced his fear with cold calculation. Even if Sasuke didn't give any kind of clue that he knew about the cuts, it was obvious that he did. Why else would he pull them alongside? Even if Menma had zero idea why the cuts were there, it was clear that Sasuke did. Maybe...

Something whizzed in the air, a high pitched whistle. It dawned on Naruto first that something was flying.  
Naruto raised his arm and opened his palm. Normally he wouldn't do such a strange thing but... Whatever this was, it was rythmical, and moved in a patterned format.

A small object, hardly even fist sized knocked his palm before he snapped his hand closed. He brought it down and scooted closer to a dazed Menma. He ignored the onlooking guard's curious glances, and opened his palm.

A boomerang-shaped object. The item had two wings. One for an angel, the other for a demon.

"It's his." He didn't have to finish. Riku had strange tastes. Menma pulled the double winged boomerang closer to observe it. A piece of parchment slipped into his palm. Silently, he began to read the quick writing.

_"I was spotted. Need an extra day." _Menma scowled. Naruto grumbled off in his own irritation. He could understand.

But still... He flipped over the paper over, another message.

_"source tells me about a green scroll in palace."_

'Well... Alright.' Menma's previous irritation faded. This means... He hadn't really had a chance to properly think the situation over, what with all the sudden change.  
If Sasuke wanted him for something, and he already knew about his scars... Then he must know a tad bit about his past... Right? He scowled.

His only chance to learn anything was from a sly tyrant who thought he had it all under control. He playfully smirked and remembered how well that one raid went.  
It didn't matter, he would just take it.

The boomerang dissolved into white then faded into white glass. Naruto remained surprisingly quiet. Although alarm was emblazoned on his face. Menma crunched the paper violently before shredding it into many pieces.

"I'll use it as an advantage." Menma said as he stripped the pieces into even more flakes.

"We'll talk about it." Naruto didn't say anything. He understood. Menma never really noticed, but Naruto was handling this very well. Considering the situation.

As they passed the gates, Menma began to worry. And worry, he did. Through the corridors, Sasuke pulled up a rather sadistic question.

"Menma, why do you wear a mask?"

Menma arched an eyebrow, if mind games were his play...

"Why do you wear armor when there are over eight guards protecting you?"

"Hips and torso stand out rather well." Sasuke turned his head and looked at the two. It didn't take less than a moment for Menma realize that he was eyeing Naruto.

"So why? You never raid this area, no one could know you."

'Sly.' Menma paused and pretended to look at the wall in a longing stare. "A lady I once loved lives here, if she were to see me, I'd lose my head." Menma knew he was good at faking.

"Jmm. Fair enough." Sasuke said through clenched teeth. "Although, masks are not allowed in this meal. Take it off."

"What if I refuse?"

"I'll make sure that you come. Even by force."

"So I see." Menma smiled slyly. Not that Sasuke could tell he was smiling, only Naruto could.

The rest of the walk down the halls was silent minus the clank of the guards armor. Menma isn't feeling quiet anymore. Even if Sasuke wanted to know that he was right, there was no getting around this. He wanted to see the way the nobles acted. Plus, if all went as planned, he could pass information to his fellow thieves.

When they arrived at Naruto's room, seeing as how Menma couldn't call it his own, Menma opened the door and let his unique friend inside before following. Menma didn't mind calling Naruto his friend. It wasn't because of his trustworthy status everywhere, it wasnt even because of the scars. He just... Enjoyed it.

Sasuke held the door open and cleared his throat to grab the two rugrat's attention. They turned back around simultaneously and Menma was given a look of mild jealousy.

"The maids will be bringing you some proper clothes before the meal." Sasuke was shameless. Menma could SEE his eyes roving over Naruto. That thought was interrupted when Sasuke shifted his eyes to Menma.

"Take a bath soon."...As if this wasn't even a weird situation in the first place... Naruto wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"Psh, like you smell the cleanest with your overdone rolling in ashes." Naruto waved his hand in air for emphasis.

"Hmnp." Sasuke chuffed before shooting him a glare.

"I could smell it down the hall." Naruto poked.

"Nevertheless, behave at the meal." The subtext was filled with 'I'll-skin-you-alive-and-make-a-coat-with-your-flesh'. And then he slammed the door. Leaving the throughly stressed teens alone.

Menma remained silenced until Sasuke left. Fully.

"He's so pathetic." Naruto said. Menma looked over and saw Naruto currently stripping his upper body. Menma forced himself not to promptly freak out and re-do the bandages. After all, he himself WAS shirtless. Menma stood patiently and forced himself to analyze the situation. He wouldn't tell Naruto the plan because it was too risky for a maid to come in and learn the entire thing. So he simply evaluated and re-evaluated the plan as Naruto... what was Naruto doing?

Menma was snapped out of his planning when two hands reached up and fiddled with the hook for the mask. Naruto pulled it away from Menma and waited for any sign of discontent from the other.

"It bothers Sasuke that you look so much like him." Naruto snarked and Menma turned to see him. "He can't understand why. He believes he's better." Naruto smirked and pulled the mask away from Menma entirely. Menma touched his face just to have something to do because the other was uncomfortably close.

"You look pinkish." Naruto smirked and poked Menma in the shoulder. Menma was forcing himself not to end his concentration and act sly back at him right there.  
He could see why the Uchiha wanted him all by himself.  
The more time he spent with the blond haired boy, the more he wanted to stay with him. His generally happy personality made Menma giddy. Even though he was in slight denial.

"I owe you." Naruto said and took Menma by surprised for the second time in a two minute timespan.

"What do you mean?" Menma pulled his composure back together just in time.

"You washed my wounds, I have to do something back."

"You did save us several times."

"Us. Not anything for just you." Naruto's tone of voice is simple, but Menma could've sworn that there was something else as Naruto crawled his fingers up Menma's arm and flicked off a piece of crusted grime. Menma then assumed it to be part of the wall that he'd been hiding behind.

"Come with me." Naruto said and, without Menma's opinion, dragged him to the bathing room. Menma rose an eyebrow at the site of the tub. Sasuke must've sent a group of maids. The tub was full with steaming water and small droplets littered the area.

He notices that the tub could hold three people. Bracing himself, he begins to pull away his armwarmers and sandals. He snagged a towel with a bar of soap and dipped his hands into the water first.

Naruto steps in next to him, Menma keeps his eyes averted just to respect the teens privacy. The water burns slightly but it's better than being in the tub with Naruto.

"You are very impossible." Naruto says and Menma chances a bewildered look at his ally.

"How so?" Menma says when he sees that Naruto is safe for a viewers eyes. Menma washes his face and feels the droplets soak his bangs. Nuisances.

"To believe that you won't take advantage of a person that has been practically given to you." Now he just sounds conceited.

"I've...restrained myself often." Menma says as he scrubs his upper arms. "Can't be distracted by a pretty face during a heist or anywhere. Women are weapons too, Y'know."

"True true. However..." Naruto says with a sly tint. "You have to make it believable in front of Sasuke." Menma sighs. So that's why he continued to advance.

"I... Become more sinister in... Moments. Hence why I avoid them." Menma could be a psychopath. It was in his heart sometimes, but he held back his crazy desires to make things bleed. It often worked, and he had been working on his personality. But he didn't have to tell Naruto about this.

"Sasuke tries to be that way. But he just can't do it." Naruto chuckles at the Joke. "Why don't you bathe in the water?" Naruto asks to change the topic. Menma didn't even take his pants off.

"Don't have to soak to smell pretty." Menma said as he pulled himself to sit on the edge of the tub and scrubbed his neck with the towel.

"Heh." Naruto replies and watches as Menma cleans himself. Naruto waits until Menma is finished and putting his armwarmers back on before pulling himself out of the water and put on the bed clothes. Just until the maids came with the proper outfits.

"So." Naruto said as Menma plopped onto the large chair near the fire. Menma had a plan. But it'd be better to say it later. Simply because of a nosy maid. Menma nodded his answer and stared into the fire. He wanted to ask so many things about his scars, but if there was a minuscule hint of them in Sasuke's room...

He was loudly interrupted when Naruto slapped his hands on both armrests. Menma looked up to see Naruto above him.

"Practice." Naruto said slyly. For a moment, Menma gaped like a fish. He couldn't seem to find a reasonable excuse not to.

When Naruto leans into chew on his neck, Menma pulled himself up and thought that would solve the issue. Naruto's face brushed Menma's chest. His skin prickles and light explosions cover his body. Menma pushed Naruto back and away.

"I know what I'm doing." Menma hopes it's a plausible excuse. He knows Naruto is enjoying the role-play way too much. He can't meet the counterparts eyes.

"If you say so." Naruto says and backs away. Menma thanks his lucky stars when a maid knocks on the door. And he's all too quick to answer it. He eyed the clothing. A blue outfit that was worn by samurais. Except no undershirts. It also came with matching, poofy pants. The contrasting color was white.

"Two pair. Luckily we have identical sizes, else this would be tedious." Naruto said and began stripping. Menma followed by taking off his black pants and quickly switching the clothing as fast as he could. When he was finished with that, he tied the sash and put on those funky sandals. Naruto mirrored the action almost in the exact same timing.

"Will we be escorted or..." Menma's question was answered when six chimes echoed through the palace.

"I will take you." Naruto said and grabbed the counterpart's arm before dragging him down the halls. After making their way to the lower floor center, Naruto gave the directions and let Menma guide him.  
Naruto whispered the lighter customs and hooked his sleeved arm around Menma's before they entered the dining room. Menma took note of the darker coloring of the room and the candles littering the wall. A table lied in the center of the room.

It was good that they weren't late, seeing as how there were several other chairs empty. Sasuke jumped and Menma became acutely aware of his lack of mask. He thanked his smarts of letting his bangs become lengthy enough to hide most of the indentions.

Sasuke waved to a set of two chairs and let them sit down without much bother. Menma used this as an opportunity to observe the people sitting here. He really didn't know if he should be full with pride by the way everyone was gaping at him and Naruto.

One has the audacity to chuckle and steal a glance at the fuming Sasuke. A older person with long brown hair sat with an identical female with long purple-black hair. They both had lavender eyes.

Another person came in but Menma was too busy observing their customs to care. The room obviously held the uppity feeling of nobles.

Sasuke struck up a conversation with a pink haired girl about rubys or something of the like. Menma was too worried about the scars to pay any mind to most of the conversation. When the food came out, he mirrored Naruto and ate with his back straight. Forcing his elbows not to touch the table, chopsticks eating in a petite manner. If the other nobles disapproved, he didn't care and paid no mind. The only thing that mattered at this moment was whatever Sasuke had hidden in his quarters. When the next course of the meal is ramen, he smiles and asks for the bamboo side. He hadn't had a filling meal in a long time. That pirate ship only gave him bread and that breakfast was for dieters. Then Sasuke starts talking about a treasure.

"Black, smooth fox statue about a foot tall with emerald eyes. I think I know where one might be." Menma scowled into his ramen. It sounded familar...

"Sorry!" A loud and feminine yell, followed by the bang of a door breaks the hoity toity atmosphere. "I was dealing with a very picky client. She took longer than expected." Menma isn't sure if he should be cautious or relaxed that it's Ino who is late and he hopes it's just seating arrangement when she sits across from them.

"It's understandable." Sasuke says as he sets his glass down. "Ino," She looks at him as she prepares here meal seating.

"Any new things added to the concubine control?"

"I know that there was recently an addition of four new slaves. If that's what you mean?" Ino says cautiously and a hint of interest cloaks her figure.

"No." Sasuke says and a dark smirk dances over his being.

"I mean the one of the claiming law." Menma felt his blood go cold. He hadn't done anything. He felt like an idiot student who hadn't completed his homework. "The one that involves the owner to mark the neck or go further than touching-" Menma cringes because he can't skip this. He sees that the girl with her lookalike is blushing furiously. He himself is burning with harsh control.

"Ah yes. What do you think of it?" Sasuke chanced a glance at the whiskered boys. "I believe it's a bit much if you don't mind me saying." Ino begins fiddling with her chopsticks. "But I guess it cements ownership right-"

"Exactly." Sasuke sips some more of whatever drink he was drinking. "It also cements the...newer servants." Sasuke is now staring at the whiskered boys openly. "Into law and submission." Sasuke is being extra limey. Sweet but incredibly bitter and sly.

Menma meets Sasuke's gaze with matched calmness. "How would you keep tabs?" Ino inquires. "I have more eyes then what you think." Sasuke's voice keeps a dark tone.

"Well... My apologies your majesty." Ino drops her head for ever questioning him in the first place.

"And..." Sasuke starts then twists his entire figure to Menma and Naruto. "You haven't followed the new law, Menma." Sasuke chides. "Do you not value your piece of flesh?" Menma forces down his rage.

"I assure you, I do. However-" "

So. Do it." Sasuke smiled. He believed that Naruto could handle a simple peck on the cheek. But a full kiss with necking involved? Far is Menma's chance.

Menma scrunched his face into that of disaproval. "In front of everyone?"

"It's been done before." Sasuke lifts an eyebrow.

"I see." Menma numbly replies. Menma turned to Naruto and cupped him by the jaw.  
He leaned in and a thousand thoughts went through his mind. He closed his eyes when flesh met flesh.  
'Is this awkward? Am I doing it right? Will Sasuke approve? Is my neck at the right angle?' He can only hope he's doing it right when his lips meet the others. Light kisses in school... But... Forget it, go on instinct.

His lips don't exactly have a taste. But the flesh is soft and pursed. The sensation is what he hopes is right. His skin is suddenly rather hot. Menma's cheeks are burning, but Naruto's flesh under his hand is hotter.  
He felt a huge sensation in his lower stomach, like his entore body was tensing, when Naruto began to respond by moving his lips in a teasing fashion. Pushing his head towards Menma then pulling back away into a basic lip kiss. Menma inwardly shuddered under the sudden switch of sensations. It makes him want to giggle but he wisely keeps his mouth shut. Menma lowered his face down at an angle and began to pull lightly at Naruto's lower lip. His mind goes black and blank when Naruto begins to mimic his suckling.  
The sensation of moving and being moved on is only so much. His mind is burning and that butterfly feeling just won't go away. The world has stopped and there is only him and Naruto.  
Menma can't get accustomed to that feeling of acrobatic 's so simple and soft.

Menma is reminded of his duty to mark Naruto in front of Sasuke. Grudgedly, he moves his lips off of the others with a low sound of 'chuh' it sounds like sucking away wet things with air.  
Menma brought his hand up to the others face and kissed him again. This one wasn't so experimental. Instead, Menma starts rubbing the cuts with his fingers. It's a way of showing apology, understanding. All the name calling, the mistrust of the people, unreasonable hate.. He expresses it all right here. In this motion of being. Menma cracks his eyes open when Naruto returns the favor and strokes Menma's cheeks with just as much understanding and care as possible.

His face is flushed and red. There's that funny tense feeling again. Naruto pulls his hands away and let's them sit on Menma's neck. Menma takes this as a sign to move on and separates himself from the feelings and roams Naruto's jaw with harsher kisses. His hands leave Naruto's cheeks and sink down to the blond boys shoulder blades, rubbing them. T

he hot pulse underneath his lips is... Indescribable. It's like nothing he's ever felt from another human being.

Menma began to add the inner parts of his lips when he moved his mouth under Naruto's ear and began to pull his lips back as a suction motion. He moved to the part of Naruto's neck that held all the core blood vessels. Naruto let out a gasp and Menma believes he is doing the right job.

He nudged the underside of the chin and jaw with his nose several times. When Naruto didn't get the memo, Menma swiped his hand down Naruto's spine and stopped right above Naruto's behind. Naruto's entire head popped back and he gritted his teeth. Menma's insane demeanor trickles out of his control as the skin stretched and became taught under his partially open mouth.

Going for the finishing moments, he dragged his tongue over Naruto's exposed throat, then moved a spot over and sucked violently. He pulled back when he felt it was right. A bruise stood out plainly against the necklace and flesh.

For a moment he almost understood what Naruto was feeling. The feeling of being marked. Giving in after so much resisting.. It must be scary.

Menma reminded himself that it was all for the escape. Even if he wanted to kiss him one more time.

"Is that enough?" Menma said through his haze. He hoped that it was enough.

"Passionate. Yet successful." Sasuke said hollowly.

Menma forced himself not to be proud and turned back to his food.

"Indeed." His mind was numb. He couldn't focus.

Kissing did things to a person. Naruto seemed to be in just as much of a dilemma. His face was red. His hands were shaking. His eyes were dialated.

Menma forced himself to focus on his surroundings, listen to Sasuke talk casually about the trading routes, Ino talking about the next shipment of tanzanite to some other people he hadn't paid attention too.

The following hour was quiet for the both of them. They did the required observing for the escape and didn't speak to each other for the rest of the hour. Menma assumed it to be of just how much they exposed of themselves to eachother in a limited amount of time, in front of everyone.

'It was only a kiss.' Menma inwardly reassured himself.

He repeated that in his mind. And nearly planted his face into his food from sheer disbelief at how he was trying to convince himself otherwise.

'What did I get myself into?'

He re-evaluated the plan over and over in his mind. It was shallow, but it was all he had to keep himself from being embarassed.

Throught his haze, he learned that most nobles destested the current heir. It held a re-assuring feeling that he wasn't alone.

Some only ate with their left hand.

The meal was cut short when a page ran into the room and whispered something into Sasuke's ear. Menma observed as Sasuke's eyes grew wide and he asked the page for reassurance. He stood up and knocked his chair over in the process.

"This meal is dismissed. I have something important to attend to." That's all he says before he leaves quickly.

As everyone began to leave, the whiskered pair began doing the same in unison.

As the two walk down the windowed halls, it amazes Menma how much time has passed. It's going to be the start of evening soon. The walk is much more plesant than the meal.  
Naruto has relaxed visibly and Menma isn't quite as numb as he was before.

When he entered the room, a small amount of time passed where everything was silent and peaceful.

A nice place. A cool, still night to end that perfectly sunny and windy day. He inhales the calm and releases the stress.

Until Naruto is right in front of him. Their blue eyes meet in perfect harmony. Naruto suddenly leans in for a quick peck on the side of the mouth.  
Neither of the two can tell what emotions are behind it. All they know is that it's mutual.

"Do you have a plan?" Naruto asks quietly.

"I need your evaluation." Menma nearly whispers.

It's odd, yet comfortable. Like being guarded by the mischief loving fox.

TBC

1. The cabbages were a reference to Avatar The Last AirBender

Man... I don't know what it is about writing romance but it makes me feel weird.  
I thought about cutting the slash altogether. But then I remembered how I spent a chunk of my time on this monster. So I'm uploading it.

Was it OK?

Menma is portrayed as a quieter person in this fic. But I did some snoopin'. And found out that he is seen as a crazy person... I love both.

For awhile I was worried that Menma only had black hair when in his crazy form. Then I was worried about him having red and black eyes... Then I saw that thankyou doodle from kishimoto and saw that he kept the black hair and blue eyes . So now I'm relived of that worry.

This story shocks me how well the reception on it is. This is the first one that has had 15 reviews BEFORE chapter 5. so...

_**THANK YOU FOR REVEIWING**_** :D**

**like it?**

**hate it?**

**want me to start working on one of my other projects?**

Until next update,

~MonoChro


	6. The Griffons, Dragons, Flames

goimh

Chapter6  
AN: I seem to be getting in the swing of this particular writing. Thanks for reviewing chapter 5! It makes me REALLY happy to see feedback on this story. (Liek U hav Nuuu Ider)

0o0o0o0o0o

After two hours of analyzing the plan with caution, the two finally had a solid idea of what they were going to do with the spare day.

When they were sure the entire set up was committed to memory, the whiskered pair sacked out. Good thing too, both of them had purple bags under their eyes and facial skin was serverly lacking in fluids, leaving them pale and slightly jittery.

It wasn't like Menma was just too terribly weirder out by the situation. Crazier things had happened on his past heists.

Like that one time. He had to act as a goat god in order for one of his fellow thieves to re-obtain one of his own trinkets.

That was weirder than acting like he was obeying like a self-centered noble.

The sleep was amazing. Especially after all those crazy issues of the previous day. Then again, sleep was always the most heavenly thing a person could have.

The following morning was early... Painfully. The bags under Menma's eyes hadn't fully deteriorated and drowsy sensations swamped his thinking. Now that Sasuke had seen his cuts, or. glimpsed them, it was pointless to make a small issue bigger then it already was.

Now that his mind was off track, it might as well be mentioned. It. was. COLD at night. Freezing. Even in his half-awake haze, he would wake up and see his breath come out as fog.  
At this time of year, even the tropics were cold. The cold front moved south every year and chilled the entire region.  
Not that he didn't mind the intense cold, he was just well adjusted to the heat. He withheld from face palming. He knew that the front came every year, he just wasn't planning for it.(1)

Grumbling, he moved over to the closet and tugged out a blue-stained jacket-like object. It had fur on the inside that was mismanaged and stuck out in tufts at the edge of his waist, wrists, and the hood.

Naruto was up and pulling on a dull orange and black object that was similar to a jacket as well.

"Sasuke did hire the best. These half-coats are actually useful." So that's what these were called. Nonetheless... "We are in luck." Naruto said and began X-threading the wires alongside the half-coats edge.

"What makes you say that?" Menma asked and walked over to the lowing fire.

"Heard some commotion about an hour ago. Apparently a dragon was spotted along the edge of the kingdom, northeast." Naruto grinned and grabbed a feather cleaner. "Sasuke wanted to go hunt it."

Dragons weren't... Common. However, everyone knew that they were alive and really did fly above the clouds. Some place where animals were the semi-dominate species.

"Will he kill it?" Menma didn't think so. There wasn't a possiblity that he would kill one of the most sought after creatures and put it's head on the wall?

"Eh. Probably not. He's more of a gloater." Naruto said before grabbing a huge brush. "Regardless, it'll make sneaking into Sasuke's room easier. I'll head to the stables, you try to find whatever Riku was talking about. If you do find something, hide it well in my room and go to the stables. If you don't find anything, I still need you to be there when I release the animals." Naruto opened the door and began to power-walk through the dimly lit halls.

"Alright, good luck."

For now, Menma was presuming that there were less guards, since Sasuke was out hunting and whatnot, and the expected amount of people...  
It took 14 hounds to hold down a large boar, so 38 to hold down an average dragon. 60 men, so that's two troops of 30... He didn't know which area the troops came from.

Menma grumbled and continued to pace down the dim hallways, keeping his breathing absolutely low to hear anything, his footsteps in a sliding motion to cut the noise. So far, nothing. No guards around the 63rd vault of gold, and no dogs ready to rip out his liver. So far, so good.

He peaked around the next hallway and listened. He was waiting for the sound of breathing or footsteps.  
He waited for a certain amount of time, standing still would offer him a higher chance of another guard walking in his area. He was lurking around a prince after all.

His thoughts were answered clear and true when he saw two huge dogs at the bottom of a extravagant door, it was laced in crimson velvet and pearls. The dogs were large. Greaust the mouth would take off more than his forearm and maybe beyond his elbow.

This was also inconvenient because the breed of e intelligent and monstrous. Animals were smart on occasion, but predators were smarter than your average animal. Now that he thought about it, these dogs probably didn't even have a close relationship with Sasuke. In fact, he probably used fear and pain to assert himself over them. Menma sighed and tried to think of a distraction method.  
First, he had no clue how to make it work. And of he did, there would be a split second to make things work. Menma began fishing through his clothes for something, anything to catch the bulbous animal's attention. He thought about sacrificing his mask until he found a reasonable sized pebble under his sandal. He stared sat it, concern and uncertainty lacing over his face as he rolled the stone in his fingers. He couldn't mess up, not even now. As he tossed the stone, a flash of brief thoughts popped in his mind. A good story was with a hero, who always seemed to get out of a situation. A hero lived through and through. His thoughts were halted, as the rock made an audiable 'click' and bounced against the far wall.

The dogs instantly awoke from their snoozing, giant heads swiveling in complete unison at the sound. They rose up at the same time and walked like trained military men. Left and right at the exact same time. Menma had a feeling in his gut that maybe, just maybe, these dogs could find him via smell left on the rock. His blood ran cold as the dogs sniffed at the pebble in harmony, upper lips rolling back to show canines. He could run for it, the dogs would see him, he wasn't scared but... Wait a second. These dogs weren't galloping in his direction, no they were trotting. But for some odd reason, he didn't feel like they wanted his neck.

Menma readied his legs and poised for running, the stiff clench of muscle on muscle sharpening his feeling. Knees bent and ready to run, he hoped he wouldn't die here.  
Instead of growling at him on sight, the dogs just looked at him. Menma contemplated. Dogs took offense if you looked at them for to long, if you looked away, it showed signs of being an omega. In a split decision, he held the stare. The dogs were looking at him, malicious intent and questioning reflecting in their twin colored eyes.

After a long glare, the dogs began to wag their tails in a friendly fashion. A smile seemed to show in the body movements and the large canines sat down in perfect unison. At first, he didn't understand. But it clicked after a few moments.  
Slowly, Menma crouched down in an apologetic manner and began to stroke the canine heads.

Scars.

Scars everywhere. Now that he saw it, one of them was missing both tops of his ears. The other had what appeared to be a crack along his head, if the dent showed anything.(2)

The scars covered them. They flecked the sides and burns were engraved into the rumps. One had puncture wounds in his chest.

It wasn't just Naruto...

Menma dropped his head in disbelief. He ruled everything by how much people feared him. Even a dog. He wondered how many misbehaving it took for these animals to see who was the alpha. How many burns and whippings they could have withstood before they gave in?

They were just dogs!

Menma lifted eyelids and peaked at the nametags. "Hougen and Genba." Menma whispered. He felt muscles tense and release under his fingers as the two looked at him, fearful, expecting. "Good Boys." The dogs looked at him with curiosity and delight. Menma wondered how long it had been since Sasuke had praised them. Animals knew when you were happy with them. Menma rubbed their fur at little more and stood up. The dogs were expecting an order of some sort. He couldn't leave them like that...

"Follow." instantly, the dogs were at his sides. "good boys!" Menma began walking down the hall to the door. With animals like these at his side, he wouldn't fear anything.

When he reached the door, the dogs were looking at him in an expectant manner. He could understand why, but... Cautiously, he reached down and scratched their heads. The twin canines made a content whimpering sound and let Menma enter.

The layout almost mirrored Naruto's room.  
This room was cloaked in rich crimson and dark colors. The heat being trapped in without any real ventilation, all came from the twice as large fireplace.

There wasn't anybody in here, he didn't expect anyone to enter the prince's quarters without an invitation.

His panic-and-do-things-quickly mode had begun to kick in, but Menma forced his nerves to relax. It was a dragon that they were searching for. With luck, they would take until evening, and go until the torches burned to charcoal stubs.

Calming himself, he started looking for a desk. If he even tried to do any political work, Sasuke would do things on a desk. Right? Right.

Menma walked slowly around the large bed, and was greeted with a lone, circular window at the top of the dark wall. The room made the white rays look gray and yellow in the darkened room.

A candle toward the far left of the room, where Naruto's closet would've been, was sitting on a large desk made of wood and blackened marble. Menma kicked up his pace and sped to it.

Careful not to bump anything out of it's place, Menma scanned the desk for any sign of the green scroll. Knowing his luck, it could be anywhere. Menma cautiously pulled back the drawers and peered inside.

The rough scrape of wood against wood is reassuring. Crazier people would make traps in drawers sometimes.  
A package, wrapped in green paper, just under a foot in length and hight is lying on it's side.

Menma reached down without hesitation and pulled up the package.  
First, before opening it, he ran his fingers over the covered parts, in case he was dealing with broken glass. Carefully, he reached for the sealed part and pulled.  
The paper shreds at his fingers, as if it were made of dried moss. He made sure not to destroy it like a child at Christmas, else he leave paper pieces and evidence behind. His finger came into contact with smoothness, and he pulled out a fox statue.

'I like it.' are his first thoughts. It's a dark chocolate color. Smooth and sculpted by an expert. The fox' eyes are tiny emeralds. The vulpine is rearing up on it's hindlegs, a pose that suggests anger, but it's face is calm. Menma stares at this piece, it looks really familiar. He knows he's seen it before, maybe not a replica, but surely a lookalike...

Shrugging, he re-wrapped it in the paper and clutched it at his side. Now all he needed was that unidentified scroll. Menma opened two other drawers before stumbling on one that he hadn't seen before.  
It was cleverly placed on the underside of the marble. Making it difficult to see the handle, it was obviously used to hide things. Menma pulled this one slowly, there was a higher chance of being bit by a snake this go around.

By luck, Sasuke must've not thought that anyone would look under his desk. Menma pulled it out and observed. He didn't touch anything, just to be safe. He was certain something would be here, why else would someone ask for a hidden drawer? There, in the corner of the drawer, was a tiny, seven inch scroll, nearly buried under the normal ones.  
Gently, as to not make it obvious, Menma pulled away the scroll and hoped that no one saw his snooping. He couldn't understand it. The scroll was written in runic and hieroglyphic letters and meanings. It made no sense. Would Sasuke have understood it? If he had it that surely men't something. Menma considered having Sasuke by the throat and forcing him to read it out loud, but there was a huge chance that Sasuke didn't understand it. There was also a possibility that Sasuke didn't even have a translator, or even know how to translate it.

Sighing, Menma rolled the parchment back and held both items on one hand. He made certain that the rummaging hadn't been obvious, and dashed to the door. After closing the pearl-covered door, Menma took the chance to pet Hougen and Genba one more time before making his way out of the royalty halls. After three almost-encounters with the guards, he ran down the whitewash halls to Naruto's room.

It was an archaic way of going undetected but he didn't care at this point, he was running out of an unknown amount of time, and Naruto would be waiting in the stables.  
Warily, he opened up the door and became silent, some maid or assistant might be inside. When silence greeted his ears, Menma relaxed. Scanning the room, he looked for something to hide the two objects in. Under the bed was too obvious, or anywhere on the bed.  
The closet would have been safe until they parted the clothes. The bathtub was too visually striking. Menma didn't want anything to be obvious, he wanted extravagant and simplistic.  
Spying a pot, he snickered and walked over to it. They wouldn't even begin to assume this. Sticking the scroll into the pot, he grinned in a snarky manner as the brownish color swamped the green. One of two issues solved.

Menma was gradually getting more ideas and more creative with hiding things as the years went by. The more absurd, the better. You couldn't drop any hints that there was anything out of the ordinary. If you did, you were done. And during his little self-confiding, Menma saw the next hiding spot; somewhere near the fireplace. Heat normally drove away intruders, especially if they were not able to handle it. Menma began shuffling around the top of the mantel in order to hide the fox.  
Nothing.

It was too obvious, even if someone wasn't looking for it, they would still see it. It was in his irritation that Menma found that he couldn't feel any heat. The fire logs must've been replaced by a servant... By now, he would have backed away because the heat should have began singeing his knees. However, it felt as if the heat and ashes had become like large rocks and waves.  
The heat rushed by him, split and rolled away behind him as waves of water would.

Confused, Menma crouched in front of the fireplace, his face practically touching the flame tips. He stole a glance at the fox in his hand. The statue had remained the same, except the eyes were amber colored, unlike the usual green.

Slowly, Menma extended the arm into the fire. Nothing. He didn't burn. The statue didn't melt. Menma gaped at the strange occurrence. It was like the gem eyes were looking straight at him now, a queer look, if statues could have faces.  
Menma gulped and sat the fox behind the pile of coals and wood. Closing his eyes in fear of being burned, he let go. His eyes popped open when no heat came over his body. Like a connection had been forged and he could not get burned. Nobody would take a chance and stick their hand into fire, the statue was safe.  
Menma wasn't sure his mind was safe, but he assumed it was ok...considering.

Dazed, he walked out of the room.

The way to the stables was short and narrow. Guards shot him suspicious looks but all in all, never said anything.  
A spry fellow had the instinct to ask Menma what he was doing and where he was going. Menma silently commended the lad, answered his questions, and went on his way.

When he made it outside, he learned something about the palace setup. The direction he had gone was in the direction of the fields in order to make an exit for the forests. On the right of the building itself was a large sand pit that would hold over ten horses with enough room to train. Even farther right was gray stone wall.

It was large. Large enough to need a catapult to cross over to the other side. Menma had learned that on the other side, was a courtyard with a fountain and four pavilions.

'That's probably where he'll show off the dragon.' Menma affirmed to himself. Menma didn't really say that much when he saw the stables. They were huge and high quality.

On the outside, a thin layering of wooden sheets, polished and primed to a glossy finish. When he walked to the entry doors, he could also see underneath the wooden sheets were layers and mixtures of straw, mud, and rock to act as insulators. Smart.

Menma pulled down on the handle and opened the door. A rush of cold air and hot air mixing and pushing greeted him. More hurriedly than he would like to admit, he closed the door and shoved the pin in the lock. He leaned against the warmth and shivered at the sudden change.

The stables were warm. Warm like the tropics. Sighing in relief from the cold air, he pushed himself away from the gritty door and walked foreward. His fingers were going numb at the sudden change of temperature, fuzzy and tingly.

Chandelier-like torches hung at the ceiling, giving the stables an orange hue. Although dangerous, the effect was quite homely. A loud screech brought him out of his numb and thoughtful state. Menma watched as a bird-like animal smashed against the stable doors at his left. Alarm shot through his body at the sight of the door being half-closed, his vision went blurry at the edges and his arms went tingly, everytime the animals pounded against the door, the bolt loosened.

"Don't. Do. Anything!" Menma jumped at Naruto's sudden appearance. He saw Naruto jogging down the space between the stalls, half-coat discarded and necklace thrumming against his collarbones. He lowered his hands a few feet and braced himself as Naruto collided into the skittish boy. Naruto shoved Menma into the wall and held him there with an open palm.

"Just watch." His companion whispered and pointed at the trembling door. Menma held his breath and hoped that Naruto knew what he was doing, else they all be ripped to shreds. When the entire locking device shattered, it fell to the ground with a series of clinks. Three second passed before the door burst open and ripped off the top hinges.

A griffon burst out from behind the door, it roared and circled around the extra space. Its fur and feathers were a gray color, like a house cat. Blue and red flecked it's neck, like a western bluebird. Menma slapped Naruto's hand away and balled his hands into fists. Then it occured to him that the beast was rejoicing. It whooped and hovered in the air squaking to the other griffons that lay in wait. Menma's lips parted in sheer wonder, he'd never seen an animal so... Happy.

"See?" Naruto said and back away from Menma, and happy look crossing over his features. "I know what I'm doin'."

"...I see." Menma replied, dumbstruck. The animals were now chattering, bird and cat noises flecked the stables. He was brought out of his revere when the free griffon hovered and plopped beside Naruto.

"She's nice, s'why I wanted to let her out first." So it was a girl. The griffon made a low clicking noise and began fishing her beak through Naruto's hair. Eyes closed like a cat.

"No. Nothing in there." Naruto smiled and gentlly pushed the bird away from trying to find insect in his blond mop. Suddenly, she snapped her attention away from Naruto and became more bird-like.

"Uhh." Menma tried to figure out what to do. She came in closer and stuck her neck out, stretching back and forth, observing him. "What's her name?" Naruto began to laugh as the she-bird angled her face to where only one eye was visible. She brought her face in uncomfortablly close and looked at his face.

"Her name is Revide." Naruto said and attempt to stifle his laugh as the griffon poked her beak on Menma's head. Menma wasnt flustered, he just wasn't sure what to do! Suddenly, Revide began prodding through his hair. "She thinks you're ok." Naruto translated as the birdish part of the griffon dispersed and the purring returned.

"Uh... Ok." Menma said and followed his counter part down the empty space between the stables. The animals had quieted down, minus the bashing every now and again. Revide had her wing extended so that it would lightly brush against Menma's back when he stepped. He felt weird knowing that she was there and could eat him if she wanted to. However, she didn't and just kept on purring.

Naruto walked all the way to the other side of the building before stopping and pulling away the pin at a silent stall. Menma had at first been confused, why didn't Naruto go for one that wanted freedom? His question was answered when the door was shredded and clawed into countless numbers of wooden pieces and metal clanged to the floor. A larger griffon stalked out of it's pen, and Menma understood that this was a completely different animal.

"This is Alden." Naruto said before the animal screamed. He was a menacing creature, his freedom reeked of anger and vengeance. "He's aggressive, so far, I'm the only one who can touch him." Now Menma was convinced that Naruto was attempting to kill him and himself.

Alden snapped his larger head at the newcomer, he growled low, lips shivering at the low octaves. Before Naruto could hold him back, Alden began running at Menma, with intent to maim.  
Menma had grabbed a nearby stall door and began to push himself up in order to gain a spectrum of distance between the beast and his neck. He didn't have to, though.

Revide darted under Alden and screeched, rearing her smaller form in front of the massive animal. Squeaking and mewling in an animal language Menma hadn't heard before. Alden roared at her. Menma commended the girl, he would have already ran away by now. T

he more she flapped her wings and bawed, the more he calmed down. Soon enough, he sat down on his feline haunches and snorted at her. She circled around him several times and made chirping and meowing sounds. Gradually, he quieted.

"I knew that would happen." Naruto grinned cheekily. Even with that triumphant grin, Menma could see the boy shiver with a rush of relief.

"I suppose my neck becoming a part of the equation men't something?" Menma grumbled loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"I think he only did that because your hair reminds him of Sasuke. He hates the prick." Naruto Walked over to the male griffon and dug his fingers into the animal's feathered neck and began scratching.

"I see." Menma grumbled. He knew what to do.  
With an angry flair, he pulled his side bangs up and held them in place. Bravely, he walked over to Alden and tilted his head to the side, allowing the griffon to observe the differences and scan in the similarities.

Due to being proved wrong by an equal species and a lower species, Alden snorted and looked away. Now that Menma wasn't focused on the animal's raging form, he took the time to observe it a bit better. The Griffon looked like a crossover between a western mountain lion and a hawk. Now that he took the time to see it, he was small for a male. Only a few feet taller than Revide, who was curled up next to him and purring, even if she was shooting him rotten looks.

"So, what was the point of showing me the two birds?" Menma asked and walked over to Naruro, standing beside him.

"They want to escape just as much as we do. It took a few months, but I managed to communicate with them and... As soon as we got the chance, we'd be escaping." Naruto shrugged.

"Are they... A pair?" Menma asked quietly and Alden snapped his beak him for talking quietly.

"She adores him, and...I don't know why he thinks about her. Something on the verge of despise and enjoy." Naruto shrugged and continued scratching, leaning down and rubbing the male's head.

"How do you communicate with them?" Menma cautiously extended his hand and mimicked Naruto's actions the best he could.

"Trial and error." Naruto said cheekily.

"Oh..." Menma was imagining blood on the floor. "So, what do you need me for?"

"Lots of things." Naruto said "First, help me release all the griffons. Like we said, when we fly, they'll be scrambling to gain control over a ride."

"So we split from here?" Menma stood up and dusted his knees off.

"Yeah, I'll release them on that side, you take em' over there." Naruto guided and began moving from door to door, pulling away the locks. "It's a basic bolt and pin lock, nothing impossible." And with that, Menma began to shred every confinement item he could.

Fifteen minutes into the task, Joyous screeches were hurting his ears and Menma was considering walking outside. Heat built up incredibly fast when moving in the stalls, he had trouble thinking about how it must he for the animals. When he rounded the next sector, Menma was surprised to find that the griffons were understanding the 'some are escaping, it must be ok now' Some even looked like they were conversing.

It made Menma happy to see that most of them were not broken to Uchiha law. Unlike the hounds he met.

After releasing the last animal, Menma had a quick thought. 'Were the animals raised here or taken at an adolescent age?' He wondered about letting them go. He found Naruto sitting with Revide. The she-griffon jumped from her resting position and circling Menma in a friendly way.

"Did Sasuke take these birds as eggs?" Menma asked as Revide bumped her head under Menma's gloved hand, forcing him to pet her.

"No. Only a few were raised here. Most of em' obey with a grudge." Naruto replied and chuckled at the griffon as she purred under Menma's hand. "Oh and by the way," Naruto stepped over and grabbed the edge of her wing, and extended it as far as the tendons would allow.

"Do you have any idea how long a wing has to be to carry weight." Menma, for the third time that day, was awestruck, her wings were huge! Around twenty-four feet? Just to carry her small body?(3)

"It takes a lot to carry around that much weight and bulk." Naruto said and she retracted her wing. Menma made a smooth recovery from his shocked state and looked around.

"Where's Alden?"

"He's antisocial." Naruto said with a smirk. "In a way, reminds me of you." Naruto poked. "

You saying I like to attack things and are generally a moody figure?" Menma said and quirked an eyebrow. Naruto... Making fun of him?

"Ha!" Naruto laughed and closed his eyes. "No, he's just really quiet. Like you." So Naruto was talking about each other. "

You being a brighter version than me?" Menma grinned and rubbed his index and thumb together.

"Yeah. But we still get along well." Naruto then covered his mouth and nose with his arm. He became a serious figure and Revide starred at him with a scared expression. "I am Menma! I like masks and living in the underground market! Urgg!" Then Naruto burst into a bout of laughter.

"Two can play this game." Menma said as he pulled his bangs back and smiled big and bright. "I am Naruto! I am a prince with a silly and smart demeanor, watch me dutifully reject a bastard's requests to sleep with him!" Naruto just laughed even harder. Menma found himself cracking a grin also. After Naruto stopped laughing, he stood up shakily.

"Truce?" Menma laughed and held out his hand.

"Truce." Naruto took his hand and shook it. He wasn't really sure what Naruto was trying to get across, but it seemed to be ok. "Now that you're having a bit of fun," 'wait, what?' "I've gotta do something." Naruto winked and jumped on one of the nearby stall doors. Menma didn't say anything in reply, he just watched as Naruto swung his way onto a limb that held up bridals.

"AEEOAK!" Menma became startled and had half a mind to ask him what he was doing. He was glad that he didn't because the entire populous of griffons in the stables looked at him. As Naruto squaked. Menma began to understand, Naruto was communicating with them.  
It must've been rough and loose, considering that he was only human. Naruto then screeched at such a loud decibel, Menma frowned. A long moment of silence blanketed the stables. Then, in the middle of the crowd of griffons, a few began to mimic the loud screech. After less than three minutes, all of them began to bellow. Menma wasn't sure if that was part of the plan or not because he was certain that it would alert someone. When the roaring finally died down, Naruto climbed down the large pole and dropped in front of his escortee.

"I had to get the agreement from them, else everything would've gone to shit within the moment we tried to escape." His voice was hoarse and crackly, wheezing at certain points.

"How did you learn?" Menma said with caution.

"Watched them over and over as they interacted with each other. Like how a dog learns how to cow at no, these animals are pretty expressive." Naruto said and beckoned for Menma to follow him.

"I've seen griffons trained and tamed, but never this many. It's more likely to find someone riding an Arctic Lion than a griffon..." Menma said and followed Naruto as he took a right.

"Sasuke isn't exactly a friend..." Naruto said with a straight face. Ah, that made sense.

"What else do you need me for?" Menma said quickly to divert the subject.

"Not too much." Naruto said and walked into a stable with the hinges clinging to fragments of wood. "There's just one thing I need you to assist me with." Inside the stall was Alden and Revide. Revide was leaning on her side, bird digestion(3). Alden sat on his haunches with that same alert and "atenTION" pose.

"We're gonna groom them." Naruto said and ruffled Alden's fur.

"What?" Menma knew that he was going to have to help Naruto with something like this, but not... He just wasn't prepared for it.

"Yeah. We're going to preen them." Naruto said and grabbed a brush that had been lying on it's side.

"How?"

"See this brush?" Naruto waved it around lightly to catch the vision. "It has two sides. One is for the feline fur, and the other is for nitpickng particles that the birds can't see in their feathers. If they don't groom, disease can rupture the flight and in infection." Naruto saw Menma's 'You serious' face. "They could do it themselves, but four eyes are better than two, it'll save both of us time."

"...Fine..." Menma sighed. A bit ridiculous, but understandable. Menma picked up a spare brush and moved to Revide.

"NO." Naruto said firmly and pushed Menma away. "You brush Alden, get familiar with him. Revide's flight pattern is hap hazardous and all over the place, like a blue bird. Alden flies in a pattern of up and down." Menma glared and his counterpart. Why would he place him with an animal that would hate him?

"Revide is too fast on her turns. Alden is a safer rider I promise." Menma sighed.

"Fine." Cautiously, he crouched in front of Alden, who glared at him and snapped his beak. Menma matched the stare, like he was gonna let a bird tell him what to do. With a growl in the back of his throat, he started brushing the back first. The fur side of the brush raked and held the stray fur into place. Dirt clods the size of his thumbnail were everywhere in the fur. Straw and dust particles were everywhere on the skin and pushing into the back was not prohibited.

"Say Menma." Naruto said after an hour of combing. "Where are we gonna go when we get out?"

"..." Menma pulled out a clod of fur "I have plans to head back to the tropics before the front reaches the coasts. Where do you plan to go?"

"I really miss mom and dad..." Naruto said quietly. "I want to head back to my main kingdom," Menma somewhat understood, he sort of wanted to go back to his parents and give them a portion of his wealth. "I really shouldn't, though."

"What! Why not?" Menma raised his voice a bit. "It's always been my life or the people of the kingdom. If I go back... As of what my few allies say, it would be demolished." Naruto flipped his brush over and pulled out the griffons wings. "Sasuke won't cow down at the thought of killing."

"Bastard." Menma gritted through his teeth. Killing... Wasn't really his thing... He hadn't taken a life yet... But the mere though of making something a 'never again' would always hold him back.

"So I think I'll go with you."

"Whoah! Hold on!" Menma looked away from his animal and yelled. "What, you didn't think I had a plan?" Menma furrowed his brows and listened to what the counterpart had to say.

"Some of the thieves follow the Minato Code like a priest in Asia prays to Amaterasu. I plan on scoping those people out and finding a few allies to assist my parents." (4) Ok, so that's better than what Menma thought it would be.

"I guess that'll be fine." Menma sighed.

"Pff. I'd have gone to the tropics anyway, regardless if you said yes or no." Naruto grinned while threading through the feathers.

"We get what we both want out of the deal." Menma couldn't deny it was a solid idea. He knew a few hardcore Codens who would be glad to serve the Prince of Thieves.

"Fair enough." Turns out, Alden had accumulated more dirt within his feathers than Menma had anticipated. He had to scratch out the parasites and dust every seventeen or so strokes. Threading through a huge wing, two of them no less, was taking a lot longer than anticipated. To make it worse, Alden wasn't purring. Revide was shaking rock fragments and Alden was as silent as could be. Menma raked his free hand through his hair in frustration and combed the feathers that caught wind.  
Out of all the things he'd done, this so far was the least expected. He looked up when his feathered acquaintance made a irritated, clicking noise. Menma didn't know of he should be insulted or thankful that the large animal was preening the other wing with his beak, giving stiffer access to his underwing. As Menma finally began to Complete the first wing, last feather available, he pulled himself back and admired the handiwork.

The fur and one brushed wing were glossy and shimmering under the firelight above. Agents that dull the complexion were removed. Alden looked back at the serious boy and a look of acknowledgment mixed with relaxation crossed the bird face and quietly, he began to purr. Menma wiped the sweat off of his brow and, with more vigor, dove headfirst into the other wing. The sated animal assisting him with the beak.

"So Menma," Naruto broke the invisible silence. "What do you steal? How does it work?"

"Well," Menma thought of which question to answer first. "We don't steal things like food and real money. We often take treasures from nobles that don't have the slightest use of treasure other than for oogling, and we sell it to other bands, or trade it for whatever reason. I personally used my money to give my parents a better living environment." Menma took a breath and tried to think of a way to answer the other question. "The band that I belong to is a subordinate to another subordinate. Everything is split into several groups; the Foxes, Jackals, Coyotes, Cats, and Raccoons." Menma knew this was too much fun to talk about but that's ok, right? "Each group serves a purpose in the heist and every heist is organized around these groups. The Cats go in anywhere from sixes to threes and cause a disturbance elsewhere in the area. The Coyotes follow up in a more confusing manner, circling the crowds, if needed, beating any overinvolved guards. The Jackals are specialized in archery and beating the lights out of anyone. Raccoons are involved in the same area as the Foxes, who do the actual stealing with the Raccoons, shadowing them in case something goes wrong. After the heist, we all split in opposite directions and meet in a chosen area. The stolen object is sent to the council and sold for x amount of money. That money is our pay, while whatever else goes to the poor."

"Interesting set up!" Naruto exclaimed and crawled on his hands and knees next to Menma. "The fires happened before I could learn any of this. It's a really nice strategy. Who coined it?"

"Not sure. It isn't very new, but we'll use it until the aristocrats figure out what to do. Suppose it was coined over the last twenty years... What are you doing?" Naruto began brushing in fluent sync with his counterpart.

"Making this go quicker. I see you and Alden connected after awhile." Naruto said slyly.

"After he learned I'm good with a brush." Menma grumbled. Even if it was a triumph, it was well earned and he didn't think it would be a good idea to make fun with it.

"Pf, I'm jestin' with ya." Naruto lightly pushed Menma on the shoulder. "You do a good job, really." Menma wondered if he pulled strings to make it work like this.

"Good."

"Griffons are pretty easy to fly," Naruto said as he pulled away a bug and squished it under his fingers. "Unlike horses, all you have to do is lean in the direction you need to go. Plus, a griffon has the combination of a hunting bird and a hunting cat. Most of the time they know where to go, even without your guidance."

"And how will I know if he obeys me?" Menma said sarcastically.

"Well, for starters, he let him touch you." Ok yeah, maybe he had a point there.

"What do you expect when we're in the air?"

"Arrows to pierce and start fires. Even if it looks like rain tomorrow. If Sasuke can get his hands on a griffon he might follow."

"Persistent much?" Menma joked.

"It must be a self-esteem issue." Menma and Naruto chuckled. "We'll just have to find a way to get out of the situation." Now the whiskered pair was working simultaneously on the edge of the wing.

"What're we gonna do if Sasuke brings back a dragon after all?" Menma emptied the brushing mechanism.

"We'll sit back as he tells his sermon of how he could vanquish the Tropic Mountains, and silently laugh at his unpreparedness. Oh and that reminds me, did you find anything? From his room?"

"Yeah... I found two things worth mentioning." Menma said as he massaged the crook of the wing-thumb. "Naruto did you ever wonder how we got the scars?" Naruto didn't reply immediately.

"Sometimes. But I know who I am, and where I came from. It doesn't bother me too much."

"I see." Menma frowned. "I found a statuett about a foot high that looked like a copy of one back at the hideout. It's a clue, at least."

"Heh, if I do go with ya, I'll have no choice but to follow in your quest."

"Does that mean you loathe or take offense?"

"It's not particularly interesting, but I'll follow until I'm finished with my task in the south." Naruto sighed after talking. "I have a duty with my kingdom and making the people happy, and wether or not it shows, I want to see my parents again."

"Heh, you're reasoning is admirable. However, even if you didn't want to, you would still have to come with me."

"Never said I didn't want to, it's just not at the top of my priority list right now."

"So you won't up and leave the moment we reach the hideout?"

"Nope. I don't know anybody there, as of yet."

"Heh." Menma smirked at Naruto's laid-back approach to the situation. He could've gotten very defensive and said that he would leave Menma's side the moment he got there, however, he was going out of his way to assist Menma. At least that was how Menma saw it.

"We're done with prepping the wings." Naruto said and stood up after a quick moment of silence.

"Now what? Has the first bell already rung?" Timing would be everything, here and now.

"Yeah, we're already about an hour in to the next. I also need to do something else with our pair, wait here." Naruto said and exited the stall, leaving Menma with the two animals. Alden wasn't purring anymore. He was curled around on the floor, dozing. He was slightly poised for trouble, but his form showed signs of rest.

Revide was laying on her back and stretching like a cat, making sure to keep herself clean in the process. It made Menma smile at the two opposite personalties. Co-operation and slight resistance made these two fit as a duo. When Naruto returned, he was carrying what appeared to be, two oddly shaped saddles.

"I also wanna teach you how to use these." Naruto said with a huff. The saddles resembled a horses, but that's about it. There wasn't a horn, no stirrups, and a totally different set up. Two leather straps were Menma assumed the legs would go, were there in a circular shape on both sides. Two handles at the front of the seat, and no bridle.

"..." Menma attempted not to look surprised. His silence doing ok.

"Revide." All Naruto had to do was say her name and she popped up, ready to go. Naruto began looping the mechanism around her chest, straps crossing over each other in an x formation. Next came the strap that kept the seat from sliding, it ringed under her stomach to keep from slipping in fast decines. The speed that Naruto was putting this together was admirable. The set up was simple, but the finer threads make a large quilt.

Naruto motioned for Menma to stand closer. And spoke

"Call to him."

"Insanity is your best friend." Menma bit at the order.

"Try it. He'll come normally." Naruto reassured. Sighing in defeat, Menma clicked his tongue. Nothing. The griffon didn't even look at him.

"Alden." Menma made his voice audible and clear. The griffon just snorted in his relaxed form. Menma gave up and whistled, the animals head twitched, and he looked lazily at the serious boy. Grumpily, he got up and stalked next to his female companion.

"I know you were watching me." Naruto states and pushes the larger saddle into Menma's chest.

"How are your observation skills?"

"Ok in all seriousness. I think I could reassemble the equipment in the exact same manner." Menma ignored the touchy statement.

"Feh, I'll guide you anyway." Naruto crouched in front of the mount. "Get down here with me." Naruto motioned to his counterpart. Menma took the saddle away from Naruto and plopped the core on Alden's back. "You know what you need to do, I would hope?" Naruto jabbed.

"Cross the two like so." Menma reached in around the mount's neck, aware that Alden was watching him and he was exposing his neck to a menacing beak, and clutched the two straps. Menma pulled them back towards him and crossed right over left. With caution, he crouched on his knees and brought the straps on Alden's stomach. After buckling the two straps into place, Menma reached above and took the other straps, pulling them under like previously, and hooking them into the proper loops.

"Brilliant." Naruto complimented as Menma pulled away. Menma grinned at the compliment and stood, brushing the mount's neck. He respected Naruto to a degree and a compliment was nice, enjoyable if he stretched it. "Heh." Menma looked away from Alden and quirked an eyebrow.

"Practice in observation." Menma said and tapped his toe on the ground.

"Do you wanna ride?" Naruto asked.

"How?" Menma said with mild surprise. All in all, he was expecting it. With Naruto, he felt the need to be on his toes, like a play of wits. Or just the need to impress him at some point or another.

"I mentioned something about leaning earlier, no?" Naruto walked over and pulled himself on Revide. "If on ground, which is rare and uncomfortable for flying animals, we click or whistle to make them walk. Do such a thing again and flight or a canter will be the result. Get on." Menma stifled the irritant of being ordered, and cautiously climbed on his griffon.  
Alden eyeing him with challenge and bite. It took a moment of fishing his legs through the holders, but eventually, he understood and locked his legs into place.

"Now. Call to him, he'll understand, he just wants to mess with you head." Naruto said before smirking slyly. Menma chuffed at the poke, and whistled at the grouchy bird. Alden made a sighing sound and walked very slowly foreward.

"Lean to right." Naruto spoke and motioned his own animal foreword. Menma tilted his weight right and Alden lazily turned in that direction. He made way for the open gate and stalked down the stables.

"I still say bridles." Menma grumbled when Naruto showed up next to him.

"These two won't take bridles. Leaning was how they learned." Naruto said as he rocked lightly from side to side.

"Meh." Menma replied and stared at the door. "Hey, what if someone finds out about the smashed doors and freed griffons?" Menma chanced a look at his ally.

"Just because you're a top notch thief doesn't mean I don't have my moments." Naruto said and pulled out a red key. "Lock the door behind me, no one has to know." Naruto winked.

"Smart." Menma glared at the poke of fun. Sometimes Naruto was cocky...

"Don't gimme that look!" Naruto said with cheer. "I like to be mischievous. But no one is here to talk with me about it." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Agree'd." Menma looked away and turned his griffon around, heading back for the stall. "I want to show you something I found. When you're ready." Menma said with a toss of his head, glancing at Naruto from behind.

"If you say so." Naruto said.

Naruto wrenched the key into the padlock and twisted, a satisfying click and pop was heard and he pulled the key out. Menma was trailing close behind, and something about Naruto was off. He must've been stewing over Sasuke.

"I presume the object you want to show me, can only be seen because walls have ears?" Naruto snarked.

"More like something it does." Menma said and discreetly pulled his halfcoat on tighter. Naruto opened the door to the inside of the palace and beckoned Menma foreword. Naruto bolted the door behind him as Menma waited for him to follow. The stride back to Naruto's room was silent. Though Menma welcomed it, he felt accustomed to a sort of noise from his counterpart. It was... Disappointing to see such a sudden change of attitude from his ally. When they entered the room, Menma noticed that even if he felt the heat, it wasn't a bother. It was like his body had flipped a switch and was gradually adjusting to... Whatever this was...

"What did you find?" Naruto said and discarded his halfcoat onto the bed. "Temperature is warm..." Naruto said and lightly fanned himself. Menma didn't say anything. He walked over and kneeled in front of the fire. Against Naruto's loud alarm, he stuck his hand into the flames.

The fox was smooth and untouched. The jewels were still glimmering orange, a reunited feeling in his fingers. It wasn't cold or hot, but like an in-between mix. Like the feeling you get when you walk into a warm room after being in a blizzard.

"What. Is. That." Naruto gritted out, arms raised high and feet at shoulder length.

"It's one of the things I've found in his majesty's room." Menma said with mock-respect. "Should you be used to a form of magic at some level?" Menma said with a huff.

"Yeah but not that...kind." Naruto said and stood up properly.

"You should touch it." Menma ordered.

"Whyyy?" Naruto said as he brought his head backwards. Menma won him over with a 'you better do it' look and Naruto cautiously walked toward his ally. Gingerly, he reached his hand out. And poked it before wrenching his hand back.

"Did it hurt you?" Menma exclaimed.

"No, I just don't like it." Naruto replied defensively and earned a glare from Menma. Slowly, he stroked the head of the fox like he was petting it and pulled it away from Menma's hand.

"Now go stick your hand in the fire." Menma said as he jabbed his finger at the smoldering fireplace.

"If you said that anywhere but here..."

"Yeah, yeah just do it." Naruto slowly began approaching the heat. Slower than Menma wanted to take the time for.

"While you do that, I'll get the other item." Menma turned his back and looked into the nearby pot and plucked out the small scroll. Maybe...

"Hey Menma, check it out!" Menma lazily looked over and jumped. Naruto was standing there with fire hovering on his skin. It was crispy and yellow, but it didn't pop, for it wasn't burning anything but air, yet it was still turbulent. (5)

"How?" Menma said and nearly dropped the scroll.

"I was wondering if I could hold it." Naruto said and waved his burning palm about. "It seems to survive solely on air."

"I wonder if I can..." Menma said and hustled over to the flames. Sticking his hand in fearlessly and clutching the flames. He pulled his hand out and yanked the flames with him. The fire turned a peculiar dark purple.

"How do we put it out?" Menma said and clutched his fist, the flames crumbled and vaporized at the lack of air.

"I will make sure to bring a torch every raid from here on out..." Menma stood up and unfurled the small scroll.

"Does this look familiar?" Naruto looked at the scroll.

"I only recognized the two characters Fox Lord... Everything else is done in all languages... It'd be easy to decode if you had a plethora of people from all over the world, anything I understand is written in code..." Naruto yanked himself away and clutched the scroll, guards were marching down the hall.

"Second hour of the first bell is ending. Time is passing quickly. Hide the fox, I'll talk if they decide to waltz in." Menma ducked on the bed and covered the fox under the sheets. Naruto busied himself by putting more wood on the fire. Several more groups of men and guards came and went for the next hour and forty five minutes.

"It would seem Sasuke took more men than we anticipated, there's over a hundred out there." Naruto said with a slight edge.

"How much longer?" Menma was getting sick of the pounding, and acting like he was sleeping was making him tired. A splash of liquid in the hall woke him up, along with a thud and a slap sound.

"Take em' out! We gotta faller." Menma winced at the sound of a body being lifted and hauled into the neighbor cringe halls. "Take him to the infirmary, seems the animal is poisinous! Men if you feel faint, take yourselves to the infirmary now!" The marching continued.

"Did he get something, or is that the sound of defeat?" Naruto whispered.

"Beats me." Menma said. Naruto moved away from the fireplace and bounded onto the bed.

"Oy have a messag! Iss frram Ze Majesy Imzelf!" Menma was imagining a gangly french man with a beard. "Ee vants yew tuu send out rehinforrrecments."

"You think that wasn't obvious? I know!" Naruto snickered at the yelling captian.

"I think that was DaiShee." Naruto whispered.

"He Neds plllenty morre! Almlost zeh exsuact amount!" Naruto was glad he could understand the french messenger, and translated to Menma.

"Almost the exact same amount."

"I've met frenchies, but.. not that thick." Menma muttered.

"I've already got the reinforcements, is Sasuke alone?"

"Noh, zeh vans who could stey, did."

"Good." A heavier thump and several skipping noises resounded in the hallway. 20 minutes later, sporadic groups of footsteps charged. Shadows danced under the edge of the door.

"I hate this sound." Naruto whispered. "It sounds like carnage." Naruto had an apathetic look, but his tone made Menma swear it was the way one would act before they snapped. What was Naruto seeing? "I see Sasuke bleeding and burning sometimes." Naruto said when the footsteps got louder. "That is what he did to me... To an extent." Naruto sighed after, and relaxed.

".." Menma was silent again... A roar blasted the sudden mood away.

It was close, exceptionally close. It was more of a raspy scream, the crinkle of wings followed after.

"They actually got it..." Menma said in he said that... He actually men't his men got it for him. So he COULD accomplish something with order... Menma hopped off the bed and peaked through the window, a black mass in the far fields was twisting and writhing. Sometimes it tried to extend, but it fell, lamed and limping.

"Here." Naruto said and Naruto threw the half-coat back to Menma.

"We have to go meet him."

TBC

Ok... I wanted this to be a bit longer, but if I continue to stew on it, I will just keep losing my focus and love for the story. So yeah, major procrastination because it was hard to enjoy this chapter. I worked on it as often as possible, but htis was just...mreh on my part.  
I hope I didn't introduce too many characters and references.

(1) I personally live in the southern region of the U.S., to say that the weather is biopolar is a spot-on description. We are NEVER prepared for the next day.

(2) If You like gory anime, or an anime involving dogs, Ginga Denetsu Weed is for you.

(3) Griffons are combination of feline and Avian. Birds are lighter than cats overall, put the two together, you need huge wings to support the combinated weight.

(4) I had to involed ONE Okami reference... If you have not played this game, BUY IT NOW.

(5) in the original Naruto Manga, Naruto confirmed his chakra was yellow. Hence why on one of the manga covers, Naruto's rasengan is golden.


	7. The Air

goimh

K, I had a bit of a grudge on this story for a while.  
I just... lost my love for it.  
I am trying to get back into it right here.

0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0oo

"What?" Menma said as Naruto started pulling the half-coat over his head.

"Don't tell me you've never wanted to see a dragon up close and personal?" Naruto said as he finished putting on the troublesome clothing.

"I thought you ment-"

"Talking to Uchiha? No! I wanna see if we can release the dragon." Naruto looked at Menma, who...just continued to stare at him with the blue half-coat. "Here, since you obviously said yes." Naruto walked over to the dumbstruck Menma and shoved the half-coat over his head, making sure to rub his nose on the material, so it would hurt. "Put it on."

"Are you insane?" Menma said loudly, even as he half-heartedly put on the clothing. "It's a DRAGON."He nearly yelled.

"Yes to both. I have a plan, don't worry." Naruto said as Menma re-threaded the coat. Naruto put his hands on his hips and watched Menma thread the material while giving him a look that said 'orlly'.

Menma sighed and finished the threading. He stared at Naruto, trying to make the counterpart waver in his judgement.

"No." Naruto said and grabbed Menmas arm. "We're going. Dragons are special. We need special."

"Don't you think this isn't the time to be thinking simply?" Menma said as Naruto opened the door and dragged the reluctant Menma down the halls.  
Menma stiffened at the maid who was scrubbing up some vomited blood. Vomited; he presumed.

Menma gave her a stiff/sorry look and turned back to Naruto. He swatted away the blond boys hand on his sleeve and followed his overly optimistic counterpart.  
Although his counterpart had good intentions, Menma didn't trust the idea of cheerily greeting a dragon.

Maybe they could bide some time and keep Sasuke away from his room. It was plausible, the fact that he went through some trouble to hide the scroll in the first place made Menma a bit suspicious,  
It was obviously important.

Menma nearly slapped himself.  
Of course it was important! Why else would he hide it in a place that only black-market-ers and designers would understand?  
On top of that, it was dealing with MAGIC.

Menma sighed and rolled his head around, popping the joints in a manner that made mothers cringe.

He really was out of his game.  
Around a week on that ship, captivity for a few days, problems with NOT being on the run and planning his next step on the fly was REALLY getting to him.  
The moment Sasuke found out that there was something missing, he would go into a princely fit and beat those dogs.

He drove his heel into the floor at the thought.

Maybe Naruto WAS right to go and be near the hoity-toity bag of monstrosity for a few moments. An hour, maybe.  
Long enough to convince Sasuke to not go into his own room.

"So. Maybe you understand how this works?" Menma lifted an eyebrow at Naruto. He wouldn't dare admit out loud that Naruto was right, no way.  
Mainly because Naruto was smirking, and smudging the issue in his face.

"So serious." Naruto said and looked back at the wall in front of him. It would take a moment of so, but they would eventually get to the bottom court yard.  
If Menma was right, that's where the dragon would be shown off.

The halls were silent and guard-less. Menma considered making a run for it, but they wouldn't get far without a snapped arm.  
He shoved all building suspense and plans into the back of his head. Not now, not here.

He might've considered leaving without his counterpart in the stables.  
The thought had no fearful tone, just methodical reasoning why he would and wouldn't.  
Menma decided that it wouldn't be too bad if Naruto came along. It wasn't really his choice to say "Leave, Get out, I don't want you here anymore." Naruto had been helping this whole time.  
Honor among thieves… honor among thieves indeed.

The fact that he was even considering going without Naruto was a bit absurd.

Menma shook his head lightly and focused on the task at hand.

He hoped Naruto had some kind of basic interaction with dragons beforehand. Menma didn't, that made him nervous.

"Naruto?" Menma said as he folded his arms.  
Naruto whipped his head over and walked that peculiar side-waddle and swung one hand out a bit further than supposed to be.  
a window briefly flashed over his face, giving it a flicker of gray.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any interactions with dragons? At all?" Menma winced at his own words and implications.

"Nah." Naruto said and turned back around. "I've read a few journal pages of a person who spent some time with the creatures."

"You sure it was a person?"

"Nope. It was handwritten though. Can't be too wrong if so." Naruto said as he folded his arms over his head and stepped with a slight bounce. "You will thank me for shoving that half-coat on you. It looks like rain."

"Yeah, yeah." Menma said and trailed off. He looked at the empty walls. He didn't trust that Narutos plan was the slightest bit safe, it made him evaluate the problems at hand a bit more closely.

When he was finished, or rather, finished several moments before the entering door, he brushed aside all suspicions. If he left without an arm, this would ruin almost everything.

The entrance to the courtyard from the castle was… interesting.  
This particular courtyard was in the near center of the castle, two entering doors via the hallways existed rather openly.  
Though, one could only enter via the invitation, but everyone knows that Menma didn't follow the laws of uppers, nor Naruto.

By chance, people had already gathered around in the gazebos.  
As soon as the door opened, it was like they'd all heard it and were ready to give an assessment of who they were, how much worth they had, and add those two.

It wasn't uncomfortable, just sudden.  
Menma smirked when the older ladies and men looked at him with upturned noses. Idiots didn't know a thing and wouldn't last a day on the beach.  
A loud murmur covered the grounds when the Naruto followed the thief.

"Chech. Rumors." Naruto scoffed. These rumors had probably been circling the community for the past two days or so. Not that it bothered either of the boys, thankyouverymuch, it was amusing.

A loud screech made him look away from the blond boy.  
Sasuke was to the very far right, practically dragging the beast by its teeth.  
Menma nearly puked at what he saw.

Spreader bars were on its legs. The best way Menma would describe it in later years; was rectangle with an X inside of it.  
It restricted the movement of the animal in such a way, Menma wasn't sure how the beast walked naturally.  
Another bar was extended off of another bar, it came up and locked on a chocker around the animals neck, it couldn't even look up.  
The tail was arched over like a scorpion, forcing the animal to walk in a humiliating fashion. This tail was wrapped and kept in place by being attached to the wings in a myriad of ropes and chains.  
A bit and rein secured his mouth.

Menma grabbed Narutos arm fiercely and pulled his counterpart with him, he practically ran to the fountain.

The dragon was black. But… it seemed like the inside flesh was a bluey color. His mouth steamed a blue mist and the wet flesh inside was…blue.  
It seemed more like a skeleton in some places, the flesh was glowing and Menma understood; A thick, black shell covered most of his body, the exposed parts were his glowing blue skin.

He was glad he didn't attempt understanding these beings.

When Sasuke positioned himself in front of the crowd, dragon crouching behind him, he had that satisfied smile.  
Menma wanted to punch the lights out of the monster.

He was humiliating a beast, why do humans like seeing giants fall? Menma saw Sasuke humiliating a monster, but Menma was convinced it was the other way around.

"My." Sasuke said and waved his head around. "What a crowd." Sasuke turned and touched the beast on its nose, not flinching when the animal flared its nostrils.  
"Anything can be accomplished." Sasuke said as he circled a finger around a select scale. "Especially with a good plan." The dragon growled and opened his blue, pupiless eyes.

Immediately, The beasts vision seized both whiskered boys. It knew something, Menma could just tell.  
Maybe some sort of magic still remained on the pair, but they were too young in that field to notice.

"With this being said…" Sasuke said as he trailed his hand under the rough neck of the dragon and rubbed the throat. "Do you want me to be your king?"  
A flow of murmurs covered the area for exactly ten seconds and faded.  
"Indeed." Sasuke said and then made a fist over the adams apple of the animal. Menma brought his hand to his mouth when the animal tried to roar in pain.  
Sasuke shot the fist into the throat.

The dragon tried to scream. It tried to move its neck and pull away, its head came up in an awkward and kinked position due to the chocker.  
When he tried to lifted his head, his entire frontal body snapped up. The dragon came tumbling down, panting deeply.

A numberless amount of whispers and shouts decked the crowds.  
Menma and Naruto only shook.

"He wouldn't dare do that if it wasn't chained." Naruto said above the crowd. Menma cringed. Naruto knew better than himself what that dragon was going through.  
Some of the people turned to the boy, several passed the sentence on to the others. It followed until Sasuke could hear it, but only if someone else said it.  
That smile dropped and crumbled into a frown.

Sasuke turned around and walked over to the panting dragon. The creature eyed him with pure distaste.  
"Don't feel so special." Sasuke said as he crouched down, he lifted his hand and traced over the exposed neck, the area where life was flowing easily under his palm. "You aren't my first victim."  
Sasuke was sure that if the animal could, it would spit at him.  
But it couldn't, it could only drool.

Sasuke popped up and walked back to where he was originally standing.  
"Naruto, Menma. Come here." Sasuke yelled into the crowd.

"I'm the one he wants, you don't have to come." Naruto whispered. The blond boy looked at his counterpart in amusement when Menma shook his head. "Your choice."

The whiskered boys came out of the crowds, side by side, Naruto smirking at Sasuke, Menma raising an eyebrow.

Naruto and Menma stood in front of Sasuke by around three meters. The crowds whispering amongst themselves, they didn't know what was going to happen, let them be excited.

"Such an unruly servant." Sasuke said as he looked Naruto up and down. "With such a helpless master." He took in Menma. "I see you decided to put some clothes on, stopped being slightly flamboyant?"

"You would know." Menma said with a roll of his eyes.

Sasuke bit his lip and looked on the ground. Not that Menma was sure it was the ground…

"My soldiers tell me you and Naruto were in my stables, find them to your liking?" Sasuke said with a slight British tone.

"A place of breaking animals that generally don't do that? Maybe?" Menma said.

"I assure Naruto showed you around?"

Naruto nodded.

"Or were you doing something else?" Sasuke said and suggestively tapped the hilt of his sword.  
Menma had a quick idea, rapidly he hooked his arm around Naruto waist and pulled the boy close.  
Naruto was good and on the spot acting. He also hooked his arm around Menma waist, rolling his fingers.

"What if we were?" The whiskered pair asked in unison.

Sasuke rose an eyebrow very slowly. He frowned deeper and the pair-for once- couldn't tell if it was jealousy or just plain 'nope…fuck-that-shit…too-strange-for-me'.

"I don't regret calling you up for demonstration, Naruto." Sasuke said slowly. He pulled out his sword, Naruto smirked and released his hold on Menma. He was still grinning when he spoke back.

"Do your worst." Naruto smiled.  
Sasuke slapped him.

"I really am getting tired of you. What I went to further demonstration?" Sasuke said as he pulled Naruto up by the chin, gripping too tightly.

"Heehee. That's funny, coming from you." Even Menma didn't know what Naruto was playing at.  
Was he acting? Or just messing with Uchiha?

Something made Menma question his ally.

"You know, for moments like these." Sasuke said as he pulled out his whip. Naruto backed up next to Menma, still chuckling with that same smirk.  
Kind of scary.  
"I always keep a whip on me."

"Scary." Naruto said with a shrug. Menma could've sworn Naruto wasn't acting, merely getting a sick enjoyment of seeing the Uchiha writh.

"Get yourself over here." Menma presumed the crowds took in this torture as a amusement purpose, or a fear factor. Menma grabbed Narutos arm and halted the boy from going.

"Wait." He said and pulled the boy closer to him. Just to add fuel to the flames, he pecked Naruto on the cheek.  
He smiled back at Naruto, like two sadistic foxes.

"Coming Uchiha." Naruto said and made it look like he was still holding Menma. He released his hold and strutted to the Uchiha.  
Sasuke looked all but bewildered.

Sasuke proceeded to undo the X threading and cut the coat off of Narutos torso. He took in the nude torso.  
Naruto held in laughter. He was in control of the controller.

Naruto didn't flinch when that whip made a diagonal slice from shoulder hip. Blood seeps from the slit. Naruto just smirked again.  
"Stop being kind Uchiha, I know you're worse than that."

Sasuke 'tch'ed and slapped the whip across Narutos face, making blond hair fly to the side.  
"Jealous?" Naruto asked as he brought his face back to visibility.

Sasuke suddenly lifted his foot and kicked Naruto in the gut. Naruto coughed and landed on his knees.  
Sasuke began to slap that whip over Naruto again and again.

Meanwhile, Menma was just… he didn't know if he should smile, or cringe at the treatment.  
"Who has been bandaging you?" Sasuke asked as he wrenched the bandages off.

"Take a guess." Naruto spat.

"I don't like your attitude. Something is wrong." Sasuke said. He dragged Naruto off of the ground by the jaw.

"You know, Sasuke, I could've fallen for you." Sasukes eyes widened. "But then I learned that all of your words were being said to that other figure, name won't be mentioned."

"Thick irony I guess. Forgive me." Sasuke said, he suddenly leaned foreward and…  
Kissed Naruto.

Naruto pulled the Uchiha away from his face.  
He slapped and kicked Sasuke with all force, how bitter, he tasted like tomatoes.

"Give it up, pompy. I don't tolerate bullshit." Naruto said with his arms up, shaking his head in a way that made Menma kind of proud.  
He looked like a little gang member. Menma smirked, glad he didn't get that response.

Sasuke just look at the blond with all the rage he could muster. He waved Naruto off.  
Naruto walked over to the slightly dumbfounded Menma. He grinned triumphantly and put his arm on the Menmas shoulder.  
Menma rose an eyebrow.

Blood was getting on the blue halfcoat, but he didn't mind too much.

What he was acutely aware of, was the VERY good character Naruto was playing.

Menma nodded and Sasuke seemed to be in a broody shell shock.

"Everyone has the right to leave if they wish, I need to go visit my birds." Sasuke waved everyone off.  
Menmas throat dropped to his stomach, if he found out…

"S'not was he's sayin'." Naruto assured his friend. "Hawks."

The crowd began to disperse like a group of rats. Sasuke parted as well. They seemed to take forever.  
Naruto popped away from Menmas side when he presumed it safe. Menma followed the bouncy boy to the dragon, who had been all but abandoned.

Naruto crouched in front of the lizard, who had been so restricted he wouldn't have been able to stand.  
Naruto began trailing his hands over the spreader bars, feeling for a snapping point.

"You are skilled at acting." Menma said to cover the silence.

"And you, lying. Even if that wasn't acting." Naruto said lowly. The dragon was watching their every move.

"Hey, you can understand English well enough, hey?" The dragon huffed at the blond boy.  
"Then, I don't know if you can but… try to breath fire." The dragons eyes glowed at the words. It began huffing and blowing. It managed to make some sounds.

"Khhhau-ACK." The voice was raspy and with much difficulty, a blue coal slid out of the maw.  
Naruto caught the glowing rock and held it in his hand.

Menma marveled as the fire turned a sickening green then yellow and trailed over Narutos palm. The dragon knocked its head around.  
"I got it." Naruto said.

Naruto held his other hand over the flames and the fire became hotter and higher. He reached the pillaring fire on the metal bar in the dragons mouth.  
Menma and Naruto watched in shock as the metal began to glow and seep onto the tongue of the dragon.  
In no time, the metal was gone.

"Give me some of that." Menma said and reached his hand over Narutos, taking some of the flame. He began to hold his own fire over the metal pole on the neck that restricted the movement. He didn't even feel heat on the flames, but it was melting the metal, so he shouldn't complain.

When the pair was done, the dragon started to speak.

"Thank you. Never expected a human to assist me." His voice was raspy and hissing.  
The pair moved back as the beast stood up and began ripping up the bars, he was snapping them as if they were twigs.  
How did he even get caught?

"You two must be Fox Lords." He said as he shattered the metal that bound his tail to his neck and wings. The dragon expanded his wings and the chains burst.

"Eh?" Naruto said.

"Don't tell me…Oh goodness, you two jumped right in at whatever you had. Desperate much?"

"We don't have to explain anything." Menma said to the dragon. "Just thought we could be nice."

"Amusing." The dragon said with a snort, his eyelids lowered and his eyebrows rose.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked as the dragon looked at them.

"Vathek. Don't care who you are." (1)

"Charming." Naruto replied sourly. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't have to tell you my story. I could ask you the same thing, blondie."

"Yeah, yeah. We helped you, help us." Naruto said as he folded his arms.

"Heh. Equal for equal. I can repay you, since this is minor." Vathek shook his head, knocking off the excess chains.

"Ok. You know any sleeping spells?" Naruto said as he waved his hands.

"Who?" Vathek said sleepily.

"Everyone in the castle." Naruto said.

Menma couldn't believe how short and simple Naruto was making this. He made sure to shut the door on the problems.  
Maybe Naruto didn't want to take forever on this.  
Or he was just being Naruto.

Vathek huffed and closed his eyes. He remained silent for several moments, them he opened his mouth a blue mist poured out of his mouth.  
It seemed to go through the ground and walls. The slight thumps of bodies made them certain.

"Where will you go?" Menma asked. Vathek began to stretch out his wings.

"Away."

He liked this guy, short and simple, just a tad of snark.

"My debt is repaid. I'll be off."

And he was. The dragon was at the far distance in minutes.

"Why did you want to meet a dragon."

"For the experience."

"Ah."

0oo0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o 0o0o0

They didn't have to slink around the corridors anymore, the guards were sleeping, snoozing really.  
Menma had half a mind to kick them, but held back.

They went to bed that night, silent and bubbling with glee.  
Menma knows that Naruto wants to leave this place more than he's worth. He cannot blame him, hopefully Naruto didn't have some kind fo attachment to this place.  
He shook his head.

"Nah, that's crazy."

"Huh, Menma, did you say something?" Naruto said as he sat up and gave the counterpart a ludicrous look.

"Huh, oh, nah. Just thinkin' out loud." Menma said and resumed staring at the ceiling. He probably just gave Naruto wary thoughts, but that's ok. Menma rolled over and silently bade the objects in the room a goodbye.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The morning following the night is early and quick.  
Menma and Naruto yanked on the halfcoats, the air outside promised of rain and strong wind. Horrible flying conditions.  
A bag is the home of the statue and small scroll, which Naruto volunteered to carry.

The walk out of the room and down the halls is silent and filled with gurgling anticipation. But the quiet is welcomed by the two, not that they needed cover of any kind, but something more than that.  
Menma wondered where Sasuke was now... Maybe sleeping with his face in the dirt, hopefully.

"When will Rikus reinforcements come in?" Naruto said with a grim look.

"Beats me. He has a knack for either being late or just in time. Don't worry." Menma said casually.

Nothing else is said between the pair, Menma treated the silence as a way of saying 'I trust you'.

When they opened the door to the outside, teeth in the form of wind immediatly began assulting the pair.  
It's like this before a raid.  
A calm chill over everyone, like the moments of waiting for a drug to kick in.

This sensation stays even as Naruto pulls out the key and dangles it with a sick smirk. Menma hangs his thumbs on the rim of his pants, casually. This was something he had no part in, this was Narutos achivement.  
"Eat your own acid, Bastard." Naruto whispered as he jammed the key into the lock.

Menma backed away as Naruto ripped open the doors, they parted and banged loudly against the blockades.  
Naruto threw his hands into the air and the songs of freedom cut into the silence.  
Menma moved quickly away from the stables as the griffons came out of the stables in torrents. Some took to the skies, others began destroying everything in sight.  
This sight is nothing short of breathtaking. Animals capable of flight arched over his head in whirlwinds, the air slapping him in the face, the rubble ticking against his shoulder.

Naruto is in the center of it all, his hands raised high and laughing, motioning for the animals to fly beyond the palace, beyond the walls, beyond the field, and beyond the skies.  
Menma stood and laughed with Naruto, he didn't even know why.

His ride, Alden, landed in front of him. Menma presumed this must be hard, to have to wait for freedom for just a little longer.

Naruto is already hiking himself onto Revide. The girl griffon is chirping and jumping under Narutos weight. Menma hoisted himself onto Alden, the male griffon huffed and waited for Menma to get situated.  
Menma shoved his legs into the straps and gripped onto the shoulders of the beast.

He didn't know what to expect, he'd never flown before.  
Until he noticed something bubble inside him. He felt the need to laugh and smile.

He wanted to fly, too.

Alden was all to happy to grant that wish.

Menma crouched down as the gigantic animal leaned down and shot off of the ground. A rush of air pushed back his bangs and he bounced with every pump of the wings.  
He didn't dare look down as the griffon began to asend and unfamiliar wind roughly shoved Menma from side to side. He shouldn't be afraid, really. He has been high in the air, but not like this.  
Menma watch as the clouds became closer.

It began to rain.

Menma laughed, he didn't even know why. He was flying! Nothing like gliding on an oversized kite, no he was really FLYING.

Naruto was somewhere beneath him. At this moment, he almost didn't care. This was a new sensation altogether. He looked back at Alden who seemed to be grinning.  
He almost didn't want to leave, no matter how chilly it was up here. He leaned over to his left and watched as the world view beneath him arched and dipped into something new, fog layered the area below. He could see the entire palace and district from here.

"Enjoying this?" Naruto said and brought Menmas thoughts to a complete halt. He watch as the smaller griffon swerved haphazardly in greeting. Naruto rose over Menma in a way that made him...curious.

"Yeah..." Menma said and resumed staring straight ahead. It seemed surreal, all of it seemed fast and slow at the same time. Merged and molded into something unfamilar.  
Vertigo.

"Hate to end this here. But, it would seem they woke up." Naruto said and pointed down below. Menma cautiously looked over and saw the people below, squirming like ants and looking outside, someone must've been pointing up to them.

"I was enjoying that, too." Menma scoffed. He though there would be some kind of two hour interval where nothing wrong would happen.  
Life isn't like that.

"We have to engage them." Naruto said quickly.

"Woah, woah. Hold on."

"Sasuke WANTS us to go on as fast as we can. These animals can only go so fast for a certain amount of time, he knows this." Naruto paused and dipped down below Menma. "If we don't stall whatever he does, we wont get to the tropics." Naruto said and pulled out something Menma hadn't seen this morning.

"When did you get that? Plan on stabbing me?" Menma teased. He REALLY didn't want to engage the tyrant of the north. If Naruto was seriously thinking about doing that...

"It's a knife I've been planning on using for a very long time. I've got a plan." Naruto said as he pulled out a string of beads.

"Those are basic binding beads, what?" Menma said and urged Alden to follow the smaller griffon.

"I've got a plan, here take the beads. Sasuke has one griffon that is loyal to him, it wouldn't leave even if I humiliated it. His name is Dicesl, just as much of a bastard to me as Sasuke." Naruto tossed the binding beads to Menma, who caught them. "You distract them with the beads, get a limb, I'll do my best to be a problem in the flight department."

"...Fine." Menma said and gave in. He leaned back and clenched his legs around Alden.  
Plummenting.

This sensation is a complete high.  
He was falling, falling and being pulled into everything he saw beneath him. The world getting closer and closer, his intestines crowded against his chest and his hair billowed straight up.  
He felt his eyes water from the extremes, but he didn't care, this high is beyond anything he can comphrehend.

He lifts his arms up and open, his heart seemed to have exploded in joy, the sensation of being unrestricted and unbound is overloading and he cannot process the feeling. No words can describe the adrenaline.

His task comes into sharp and clear focus as the world becomes intense, as if liquid crystal had been dipped onto everything. Menma leaned down and grabbed the shoulders of the griffon and pulled upward.  
He spotted Sasuke climbing the skies with the prementioned other griffon. Menma let go of the shoulders and plummented even faster than before.

Alden seemed to have a clear idea of what was going on. The animal narrowed his eyes and tucked his wings in, clenching them around his riders legs. The speed was unlike anything you could describe. Menma readied his beads and lifted himself on the griffon, air passing around his legs.

He gritted his teeth and looked behind him, Naruto wasn't far behind, only a couple hundred feet above him.

He looked back at the darker griffon below, they only had one shot at this, if Sasuke moved out of the way, that was it.

Menma glanced back at Naruto who drew closer every second. Menma turned back around and bent his back slightly.  
He could count how soon this would take. If Sasuke was watching...

three

He stretched out the beads to their fullest and tightened them. The wind was screeching into his ears.

two

Menma was running on instinct, his hand caught on fire, he wasn't worried. Deafening.

one

"Fall." He whispered.

zero

**SLAM**.

The impact would've yanked the two humans out of their seats had it not been for the leg restrainments. Although buffeting the speed slightly, the four began zipping diagonally to the fields below.  
Alden screamed and began to tear at the flesh of the stunned Dicesl. He released his claws and began yanking at every peice of open flesh. Dicesl roared and gripped onto the smaller griffon, he easily turned the smaller bird over.  
Menma cursed and held on for dear life, he was upside down. The ground was far away but not for long.

Dicesl crushed the smaller griffons shoulders, the flesh sliced and oozed the life-giving liquid. He was going to smash them into the earth!

"Shit." Menma hissed. He had to do something fast. He saw Sasuke still somewhat dazed looking over the shoulder of the larger griffon. He was waving around a short sword. Menma scowled and looked at his burning fist.  
Giving it everything he had, he reached up as high as he could and grabbed the leg of the enormous griffon.

He pumped every last bit of heat he could muster into the fire, gravity wasn't being nice to the flames. Menma smiled when the fur and feathers caught fire. Dicesl growled and released his grip on the smaller griffon.  
Menma hugged his ride as he was flipped over and right-side-up.

He looked at the ground beneath him, then back up. He touched the cuts along the shoulder, blood streaming out of them. Alden snarled at him.

Menma turned his head up and saw Sasuke gaining speed, quickly. Then shot his eyes open when he saw Naruto not too far away. He grumbled at the problem. "Trust me." He whispered to Alden.  
Menma twisted his spine and stretched out the beads as far as they would, then he simply, let go.

The beads writhed limply and slapped Dicesl in the stomach. The griffon roared and twisted, paws flailing.  
Dicesl screamed as his limbs became tangled and wrought in the beads. He was closer now, if he could just grab that insolent human...

Menma turned back around rapidly an grabbed the jaws of Alden. He yanked the skull downward. Aldens entire body followed the head.  
Alden flipped foreward, curling into a ball as Disesl blitzed over them.

He grazed the tail of the smaller griffon and passed over them. Alden shot straight up with the left over momentum and banked away from the situation.

Menma gnawed his lip as Naruto bulleted out from under them, fast approaching the writhing Sasuke and Dicesl.

Naruto stuck the blade in between his teeth, preparing for what was going to come next.  
Only somebody as crazy as himself can do this.

He undid the main leg straps.

Sasukes giant problem was regaining its bearings, there really wasn't that much time. Naruto gripped the saddle edge with all his strength and stood on his knees.  
When they collided, Naruto felt it was best to make sure that Revide stay on top of Dicesl, she was smaller and Dicesl easily made mincemeat out of Alden.  
Revide yanked back with her smaller claws and gripped on the rump of Dicesl, flesh appearing pink under her black claws.  
Naruto wait for another moment when Dicesl finally began climbing upward and away from the ground. Sasuke wouldn't harm Naruto as bad as he would Menma, which is why Naruto wanted to be the one to do this.

He popped off of Revide and onto Sasukes back right when the opposing human turned around. Naruto shoved Sasuke into the feathers of Dicesl.  
"I've been waiting to cause you pain." Naruto said through the knife and Dicesl began thrashing, tossing the smaller she-griffon all over. But she clung to him, Naruto feared Dicesl would slice her belly if given the opportunity.

Naruto jabbed his heels and knees into Dicesl and made sure it would hurt. He kept Sasukes skull planted firmly into the animals back. Quickly snatching out the knife with his free hand, he gripped the metal into the reverse position.

Instead of stabbing Sasuke through the skull,

he hovered the knife over the tendons and sinew that attached the wing to the shoulder blade.

And dove the knife in.

Blood bubbled and burst from the stab. Pink and rosey flesh made a sickening _sfliquch_as he drove the knife though, down to the pommel with his palm.

Sasuke and Dicesl both let out a cry of fury. Sasuke roping his arm around Narutos and bent it. Dicesl, as Narutos greater fear, managed to hit her in the belly.  
Dicesl turned his head around and looked at the offenders. He made a total 180 and dragged his claws over her face.

Naruto growled and back handed Sasuke. "Oh, you little **bitch**." Sasuke said. Naruto cried out when he saw Revide in agony. Dicesl had his talons over her dainty neck and was slowly cutting, squeezing.  
Naruto grabbed the knife again and kicked Sasuke. He started blindly hacking and driving the knife into any portion of the wing tendon he could reach. Dicesl screamed and let go of the poor girl.

An earsplitting scream cut through the stiff combat. Alden crashed into Dicesl, the smaller animal dove his beak into the knife wounds with vigor. Naruto cringed as Alden began shredding the connecting tendons. Naruto didn't want to kill them, he wanted to stall them.

Using the extra time and shock, Naruto whistled and jumped off of the huge griffon.

Revide caught him, she was wheezing and coughing, but it couldn't be helped. Naruto landed and buckled, the feathers sliding under his legs. He looked up to see Menma and Alden kick the antagonist pair down the next couple hundred feet.

Naruto stroked Revides fur as she began ascending the air, back to their companions. Naruto apologized to her in rough griffon and motioned for Menma to follow.

"Nice moves." Naruto said to Menma. They looked away from the falling rider and griffon.

"Wasn't me." Menma said and began turning to the direction of the tropics.

"It was Alden's choice."

TBC

sorry for that sudden end of the chapter. I've been wanting to update.

Was the flight sequence ok?

~Monochro.


	8. Interlude: News of Escape

an: happy holidays my dearest fellows and- smacked.

ok, I'm later with my update here than desired. But this chapter is more of an interlude, something I've been wanting to do ever since the pair was on the streets.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

The main room of the king and queen is silent. Gray hues seemed to be smeared over their fine tapestries, rich reds are the color of a faulty rose, and greens seem to only remind them of the springs they used to have.

Yes, the Namikaze family was missing a member in their castle. Naruto.

Ever since in the carnage of that day, they hadn't heard, seen, nor felt the joy of their son. They knew he was alive, but his whereabouts...home, sleeping conditions, and his pride were something unknown.

They had sent out several scouts, explorers, ninjas... No one bad come back yet.

Everyone from the previous turmoil had been willing to help rebuild, but snitching was the same without their beloved and benevolent prince.

And they blamed and hated the jealous uchiha for all of their misery and emptiness. Every. Single. One.

Kushina had been someone should would like to sew quilts with, make clothes, talk to... Now, she just stared at the wall, writing replies to business folk.

Minato was no better, he was seen as a king with no heir and a father without a son. The balance of a family had been ruptured and curled, all thanks to a jealous prince.

Today, was different, they both knew somehow. Something would go right for a change.

Intuition was never wrong.

A newer recruit had been enrolled a while back. He was...different to say the least. Minato had decided to give him a chance, let him try to prove himself.

Bad tempers will let you go far...

"Yarr magesties!" A distant yell, a crash and a flapping of wings broke the stale silence.

Minato opened the door with a mixture of 'oh my' and confusion.

White feathers littered the floor and Minato stood to the doors side. A white duck, dressed in a blue sailor coat (hat included) waddled inside.

"Buncha rubbish...hound swagling...fist dodging..." The duck grumbled in a barely understandable voice. Minato gave his wife a wide eyed glance and the duck hobbled onto her desk.

"Donald Duck, reporting from duty!" He quacked and raised his wing in the best salute he could. "I faeound somefing!" He said and jumped. flapping his wings as he pulled a folded piece of parchment out of his coat.

Kushina gave her husband a wary glance that clearly said 'what-were-you-thinking?'. The duck was known for his temper and positive outlook on life, but they didn't expect him to actually get anything... They were just being nice.

She unfolded the papers and smoothed out the wrinkles. She gasped when she saw a well done sketch of her son smiling smartly and telling off the artist with his body language. She didn't know who the one with black hair was, he had whisker marks and a smirking personality.

WANTED ALIVE

JEWEL-EYED FOXES

REWARD: 1,000,000 silver pieces.

"He's alive, alive and well!" Kushina said and brought her hand to her face. Tears of joy formed and dripped down her cheeks. "He's away from the Uchiha..!"

Within moments, the parents were making orders to search every portion of the southwest.

Their son had a chance, they would not waste it.

TBC

This is the first interlude, hopefully the last. I had this on my mind way back into September. Fun times.

Donald Duck is copyrighted to Disney. I put him in because Link would've been too generic :3

Until next update.


	9. Charting Out A Course

You guys are all like,  
"MONO! YOU &!$*%^ WHERE WERE YOU! ASDFLKDSAGHLAKSFDRHGA;JFDS!"

And... I'm sorry.  
Look, I loved working on this story in the past, and I had no intentions of quitting or ending it. My heart and mind just wasn't in the right...setting for this type of story.  
Please, forgive me.  
Here is the new chapter.  
(P.S. Happy Valentines Day :D)

0o0o0o

Menma watched worriedly as Naruto and Revide clumsily and shakily made their way up to the correct draft. Revide was hacking and extending her chin upward to better the flow of oxygen. If given the opportunity and right angle, one would see pink slivers of skin and read droplets, tarnishing her silver fur.

Naruto looked no better. His skin had gone a bleak pale and his hands were shaking on the leather. Menma could tell that even now, his bandages had been split too far by Sasukes sword, and the stress of the previous activities had wrenched the scabs open.  
He sloppily brought a hand up to his stomach and pressed.  
The brown that peaked through the half-coat was stained and blotted a rich ginger.

"Will you be ok for the next two hours?" Menma pried. He stiffened when Naruto didn't look at him. The injured teens cheeks bloated a bit and his spine bent in the slightest.

"Yeah...We can go."

Menma scowled at the obvious lie. Naruto was being stubborn, and best to let him learn his lesson.

Menma exhaled and turned his head, bravely.  
Swarms of black creatures covered the area of the palace. All of them deformed and mutated in their very own way. Sasuke was currently exchanging blows with Riku. The strange man was cautiously whipping around his (very) strange weapon.  
"It would seem that Riku came to give us some leeway." Menma stated, Naruto slowly turned around, and Menma knew that he didn't imagine that sharp inhale.

"Good." Naruto said stiffly and scanned in the swarmed castle. He turned slowly back the other way and looked straight ahead. "It'll give us some more time before they...counter and follow." Naruto spoke quietly.

Menma didn't reply. He instead stared at the approaching areas.  
He didn't come to the Northern areas often, maybe twice in the past couple of years. His memory was foggy about the territories and oppositional groups. Sometimes they all fought like illiterate tribes, or had generally calm agreements.  
He had no clue where to go or what to avoid. In his head, he slapped himself a couple times.

With that out of the way, he would have to wing it. The best idea would be to just find a spot that looked uninhabited. If anyone found them, Menma would calmly explain it was only for one night, and then proceed to run.  
That is, if they even were encountered...  
The basic set up would need... A lot of shrubbery, a small supply of water, and located in the lower altitude.

Menma began scanning the surroundings in much more detail.  
Mountains, hills, and planes bubbled up from every corner of his eye. When passed over, the rockier hills appeared as paper and crinkled parchment. Such an interesting sight. It made him check his fastenings again, just to be careful and cautious.

As his eyes scanned in the passing grounds, and the palace began to disappear behind the many bumps in the ground, a question crossed Menmas mind.

"How did I summon the fires without a source of flame?"

He frowned and his eyebrows gradually lowered, he had been so elevated that he barely remembered it. Cautiously, he raised his arm and glared at it, as if not trusting his own appendage. He didn't feel like he could burn large amounts of wood and strengthen a multitude of binding beads. He tried to make his arm catch flame again...  
Nothing.  
Stupid and more stupid. This was why he didn't trust magic. Probably took eight years out of his lifetime or something.

He glowered and shoved his hand back at his side, thinking about when he used the binding beads. Come to think of it... when DID Naruto get these binding beads? He'd just tossed them at Menma like they'd materialized out of his bag.  
Carefully, Menma turned around on his seat and opened his mouth slightly.  
His question was cut off right away when he saw Narutos pale face and rigid posture, his jaw seemed to have dropped and his cheeks seemed slightly puffed, like his tongue was shoved into the back of his throat.

Menma gritted his front teeth, his lips meshing together in a vat of mixed emotions. Now he was somewhat convinced Naruto wasn't telling him something. Not that he had ANY right to question, it was just...strange.

Menma returned his gaze back to the earth below. No water could be seen at any angle. Even if they saw some water, Menma was convinced it would still be too close to the Uchiha borders.  
Forcing back a groan, Menma inhaled. He didn't dare urge Alden to go faster, the griffon was cautiously watching Revide and dodging her every glance. Suicide would translate well for 'speeding up'. Menma stifled and shoved down a stick of irritation. He really wanted to look at something shiny to calm his nerves. The sudden drain of adrenaline and the even faster stress of Naruto gaining an object he had no clue about really made him worry.  
What if those binding beads weren't meant for Sasuke, but Naruto had a plan...

He really should just stop.

Menma closed his eyes and made two fists. Just because something seemed amiss, didn't mean it really was. And really, he had no right to question Narutos allegiance, considering he was already up in the air and out of the palace.  
Stuffing down his panic, he continued to stare straight ahead.

0o0o

Some time had passed. Maybe an hour and thirty minutes at the most, when a he spotted a small brook, barely perceivable at this height. Excited, he trailed his eyes over the brook, scanning in a much more cover area.  
"I think I've found our resting point." Menma said loudly. Naruto looked much worse. "Will you make it dow-?"

"Yes!" Naruto said abruptly. "We just need to get down there as fast as we can." Naruto said even faster as his palm further cushioned the mass of blotching. Naruto leaned onto Revide and sank faster than Menma.  
She dropped at an alarming rate, out of either exhaustion or comfortable with falling at that speed.  
Alden sank at a much slower pace, but made sure to keep up with her all the same.

Menma notioned for Alden to increase the rate of descent, he more than happily obliged.  
Within some-odd-couple-thousand-feet, he stopped descending as fast and flapped his wings, making Menma sway bumpily. At the last few-hundred feet, Alden flapped even more viciously. His wings slapped and clashed with Menmas face and legs, until finally landing.  
Swirls and storms of dust billowed at every beat of his heavy wings. Menma unhooked the straps and clumsily made his way off of Alden.

He fell to his knees as the sudden sensation of colliding with gravity hit his equilibrium with an invisible sledge hammer. He coughed and hacked at the ground, he registered dust and grass threading through his fingers as he clung to the spinning world for support.  
The dizziness made for a near limitless vertigo, years of practice and preparation would never ease him of this spinning.

"I'm never flying again." Menma said when the world gradually began to merge back into a solid image. He needed to tend to Narutos wounds, else all the worse happen.  
A thud and shuffle of body mass with clothing tugged at his sight and hold. Naruto flopped off of Revide and rolled himself over and on his back. He inhaled and exhaled furiously. Revide teetered from side to side and lied next to him, nudging her beak to his blotched clothing.

Naruto yanked out the X-threading and tossed the leather slivers aside, he lifted up his undershirt and his eyes widened at the damage.

The bandages were either burst or sliced. Red intermingled with ominous syrupy chocolate colors. Naruto scowled and gritted his teeth. "Of all places." He growled and began testing the blood. If it was already beginning to resemble some form of scab, he needed to tear it off. He wouldn't be able to walk like that, or move. If the blood dried in such a huge mass, that is.  
Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth, Naruto began to smear and scrape away the blood. He winced when his hand came into contact with several of the cuts, cursed barbed whips!

"Hold on!" Menma said as he ripped open Narutos pack and yanked out the bandages and vial. There wasn't any hot water around, and certainly no way he could summon those flames at will again.  
Snarling, he grabbed Narutos half-coat and pulled it off of Narutos arms. "Press this as firmly as you can against the wounds, do you think the waters here is infectional?"

"Not..this area." Naruto said and began immediately applying pressure. "Just...stop the bleeding." Menma didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled and ran towards the stream, batting away any foliage. He hurriedly tore off his own coat and soaked it, he collapsed onto his knees. Water seeped into his pants and began crawling on his skin. He submerged the coat a second time and cradled the soaking fabric. He sprinted back to Naruto and blindly began wiping away the blood.

"That's cold!" Naruto snapped when Menma pried away the orange half-coat. He swabbed the wounds until he could see the outline of the cut themselves. He then snatched the vial and popped the cork off. He tried to be generous in his amount, even if it was a pressing situation and he was half delirious in his own measure. He rubbed the soap all along the material until frothy and once again, smeared the coat all over the wounds.  
Naruto hissed, and that hiss grew in volume into a low scream. Menma blindly ignored his companion, and chose to pop Naruto up as the soap began its stinging path into the skin.

Menma snagged the bandages, cutting them with his own teeth and wrapping Narutos belly like a mummy. It was sloppy and a clumsy way of doing such, but he chose to go about it like that anyway.

"SHIT, you're heartless!" Naruto said when Menma pulled back.

Menma didn't reply and stared at the swaths for as long as he thought it would be. If the bleeding continued and peered through the bandages, well... he would wait even longer.  
Menmas eyes widened when Naruto tried to sit up and strain the bandages. Menma roughly shoved Naruto down and blumberingly told his that if he moved, Menma would knock him out.

Naruto growled and began resting on his back while Menma began to go off and do something else, Naruto couldn't tell what, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the stinging on his abdomen. Menma wasn't in his right...balance, but the bleeding had stopped nonetheless. Or... it FELT like it had stopped.  
There hadn't been anything careful about his...methods.  
Naruto wondered how deep that whip even went in the first place. It usually didn't even go that far... It shouldn't have in the first place. Naruto closed his eyes and breathed.  
The bandages weren't wet, at least.

Menma sighed and leaned back. That was over quicker (and messier) than he expected (or liked). Menma scooted farther back and clutched his head. The world just wouldn't stop rotating on it's new schedule.  
He was convinced that the ground was gradually turning upside down and he was going to drop, but when opened his eyes... The world was flat and friendly as could be.

"Never, never, never, never..." Menma mumbled and gritted his teeth for extended amounts of time. He couldn't seem to get the right sense of direction and balance.  
He'd forced himself too fast when trying to get a grip on the wounds. "Neverneverneverevernever." Menma rolled over into a fetal position.

His world was split into two and seemingly they were falling in and over each other. Menma decided he should just wait until his sense of balance came back. The ground is still bending and bowing when finally, the thick, slimy, fuzzy sensation inside his frontal lobe and ears begins to drain and fade.  
He exhales against the grass as the dew drops come into crisp focus, slowly.  
Menma clumsily lifted an arm and slapped it down on the grass below, he jerked his other arm out from under his ribs and planted it firmly in the grass. His fingers curled around the grass and when he pushed himself upward, the blades broke.

He dragged his knees upward and pushed his body right-side-up. He stood and let the heated fuzz fade one last time, and cautiously looked around.  
They had landed in a small clearing. Leaves circled the perimeter and Menma presumed it was from Revide and Alden's landing. There was a (fresh) path from when he bashed through the foliage to get the water from the stream. In fact, there were several other paths lining the area.  
Naruto seemed like he would be ok. Revide was curled up in mess of limbs and much needed rest.  
Alden was sitting on his haunches alternating between looking at the sky and observing the new area.

Sticks littered the area to no end, providing his hazy mind with the idea that other people might've used this clearing prior. Menma wonkily tottered to the edge of the small clearing and began observing.  
Slightly frayed edges of the branches, the wood was still green, meaning that it hadn't been just too long ago. Menma brought his hand to his face, it was always something. He had NO clue where they were, he was nauseous, Naruto wasn't in the best condition, and both of their rides were tired. He himself was in no mood to bash someone.

"Shit." Menma cursed lowly and began rubbing his temples furiously.

"Qwarrrk..." A low mixture of a cluck and growl brings Menma out of his numerous back-up plans and plan-Q ideas. Menma grumbled and turned around to see Alden giving him a look that clearly said 'shut up and be quiet, I have things to do.' Menma felt his brow descend.

"Well, what?" Menma snapped at the ever-so-serious griffon. Alden rolled his eyes so that Menma could see the whites. He stalked up to Menma and slammed his feet on the ground. His giant wings came around and a feather brushed over Menmas lips. The teen stared for a moment, dumbfounded and agitated. "Oh." Menma said, and then shut his mouth firmly. Alden gave him an incredibly sour look, then dragged his feathers over to Menmas ears.  
Menma couldn't quite understand griffon, but the look on his face and the wing movements clearly said "Listen."

So he did.

He listened HARD.  
The simple sound of nearly nothing crossed his ears, the winds crossing over the trees and waving the leaves over each other. The sound of Naruto and Revide breathing heavily, there was a faraway raincloud that pounded every several seconds, his own haywire breathing...  
But no feet, no shouts or screams of incoming soldiers.

Menma opened his eyes, he hadn't realized they were closed. Alden retreated his feathers, making sure to smear them every excusable inch of face he could. Menma took several deep breathes.  
Alden scowled at him with the intensity of a lime with a grudge. His whole body seemed to be telling Menma to 'Pipe the fuck down.'. As a comedian he saw once would put it.  
Menma sighed and loosened up in his posture.

He'd over-reacted and over-thought everything to the max. He should've trusted Alden, with being an animal with hyper-plus hearing, Menma reached his hand back and scratched his neck.  
"Sorry...?" He said quietly. Alden snorted loudly and rolled his eyes. The griffon turned on all four heels and paced back to his sitting point, occasionally giving Menma the glare. Menma didn't really know what to do.

He sighed and remembered Riku, surely the strange man would stall them long enough. Him just being that way, meant he didn't trust his ally in the slightest.

He paced over the area, taking in useless details that would never help him when they came back.  
That thought caused him to halt in his tracks, would they come back?  
Maybe for those gems, maybe... He snickered at the thought.

0o0o0o

When Naruto came to from his half-sleep, a stiff heat was crawling up his left side. A faint crackling accompanied by an occasional hiss slowly crawled into his ears. Slowly, he became more aware.  
He gradually roved his fingers over the bandages and felt along the areas where he KNEW it was too deep. He didn't blame Menma, yet. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself upward.  
Groggily, he observed.  
They were still positioned in the clearing, Menma had apparently built a fire. Alden sat along the edge of the clearing, head down, probably instinctively on guard. Revide was even closer to the fire than himself, her neck had apparently healed to some extent and she seemed to be recuperating.  
Menma was just sitting on a log, staring at the flames, his head resting on his knotted hands.

Menma gradually let his eyes slid over to Narutos form. "You're awake." Menma said and continued to look back at the flames.

"Yeah..." Naruto replied and pushed himself further upward. He found his gaze drifting to the fire. "When did you..?"

"Tree sap here is remarkably flammable." Menma said quickly. "Even more so than the Tropics." Menma said and began tapping his foot. "Naruto."

"Hmm?" The injured teen rose an eyebrow.

"Where...did you get those binding beads?"

"..." Naruto was silent for several seconds, as Menma watched the dazed blond, patiently. "I've had them for a while, but never found a good time to use them." Naruto said and rubbed his head. "Why you ask?"

"You didn't have them, or really even suggest them, we could've used them..."

"Shaddap, let me explain something." Menmas eyes widened under furrowed brows. "I think they were flying beads, specifically designed for high altitude." Naruto said, speech getting less slurred with every word. "Back when I had plans to go solo, I nicked them from Sasukes storage." Menma nodded slowly.

"Were they...magical?"

"To an extent I guess..." Naruto trailed off and began to think about what he said. Menma nodded, so THAT'S why the beads caught fire. "Anyway, we're out...of...there..." Naruto trailed off...

"WE'RE OUT OF THERE!" Narutos voice rose about eight decibels. Menma cringed slightly. "Ahh, I've been waiting for this for so long!" Naruto popped right up from his placement and Menma nearly reached up to sit the boy back down. Naruto bounced over to Revide, who woke suddenly at his shout. "Revide..." Naruto pulled her up and grasped her jaw. Naruto began to do more griffon-speak, Revides eyes gradually widened. She began mewling and cawing at him, Naruto proceeded to jump up and down. Revide began bucking wildly.

Menma watched Naruto act like a tribesman, talking to his animal. But then again, Menma shouldn't say anything, he was always free...he couldn't relate. Naruto reached out and wrapped his arms around her small neck. She expanded her wings and wrapped them around his human form.  
Menma felt his spine crawl as Alden sat next to him and watched the two engage in...festivities? Alden watched her, watched her dance and embrace the human. He gruffed and caught Menmas attention.

"What?" Menma whispered. Alden looked at the joyous pair and nudged his head toward them. Menma frowned... He pointed at Revide and nudged his own skull fore ward. Alden flinched, but then took the attitude of 'touché'.

"Hm?" Naruto said a bit louder as Revide cawed a little more actively.

"What's wrong?" Menma said and bluntly ignored the griffon next to him.

"She doesn't know if they'll stay with us." Naruto said calmly. "She's worried about Alden." The larger animal snapped his head fore ward at the name. "Menma, why don't we combine our knowledge and figure out where in the Tropics we'll actually be?"

"Uh, yeah." Menma said and reached for a nearby stick. He hurriedly scratched a compass rose with 'N, S, E, W' written hastily as Naruto motioned for Revide to follow. Menma reached over and grabbed another stick. He handed it to Naruto when he came by. The injured teen plopped down next to Menma and looked at the compass rose.

"We're along this area." Naruto said and began scribbling mountain chains along the dirt. He made a triangular shape and placed a noticeable "U" next to it. Naruto then began to smear the dirt along the previous lines. "This is us." Naruto said and made a dot along the lines marking the territory. "Since the air is pretty damp and it hasn't quite rained yet, I'd say we're around the Hikeyan chain. " He began to make more furious scribbles. "Since the Hikeyans border both Nocht and Bisk, two groups that are particularly feisty, we'll have to go through the Raisog."

"Woah, woah slow down." Menma said and waved his hands around.

"The Hikeyans are a sliver, right here, that's a tad northwest to the Uchiha. It borders and bars the Nocht and Bisk from the Uchiha territory. However," Naruto began making a small cut through the triple borders. "If we go through the Raisog chains, we should slip under most of the radar."

"Who and what are these people? Is there anything I need to know? Customs? Regards?"

"A bunch of people who don't involve themselves in others business. They don't even trade with Sasuke due to prior disagreements. I haven't even seen them. Nocht and Bisks are pretty hermit-like." Naruto then began trailing the line over the Raisog until it looped around the more southern Bisk until his stick began gradually going southwest. "As long as we sneak through the borders, we'll go unharmed."

"Naruto, we'll be flying, how will they not spot that?"

"I didn't say we would be flying ALL the time. Like I said, unless it's changed some, they're pretty hermity." Naruto then began dragging the stick then looked at Menma. "Now, what do we need to avoid when the temperature starts increasing?"

"There really isn't many unfriendly territories in the Tropics." Menma began drawing some other mountains and the occasional lake that he'd memorized by heart. "We should be able to make a nice slice to the Aihuimanuwa. It's...like a village I guess you could say, farther along the coast..." Menma nailed the stick in an inch below the village. "Is our hideaway."

"Is it...Really tropical? It's such a tropical name?" Naruto said and peered over the landmark.

"It isn't called the Tropics without a reason..." Menma trailed off.

"Oh, right."

After around twenty minutes more of talking about the possible options, they finally ironed out and sorted all the bumps and ridges in the plan. Naruto was now relaying the plan back to the griffons. Menma, didn't understand squat. Naruto eventually dragged them over to the map and had to (obviously) re-explain the plan several times before the griffons understood.  
Menma grumbled when Alden began speaking back in garbled and low roars. He occasionally interrupted Revide, who backed down with her tail swishing. Naruto fisted his mop of hair and turned back to Menma.

"I believe they'll be coming with us for a portion of the way." Naruto coughed and cleared his throat before speaking again. "After we exit the mid-section of the mediums, they might take off." Naruto explained. "Alden wants to head back north to the areas of intense snow, Revide will follow wherever he goes."

"I've seen griffons in the tropics, sometimes they come there every few years to hatch eggs. But I don't think that's why they'll go." Menma withheld a smirk as Naruto translated to them. Alden snarled at Menma, he just snickered.

"Er, well..." Naruto came back to Menma, fisting the back of his neck. "Revide is...not like that...apparently." Naruto shook his head and resumed. "They hatch the eggs there because even with combined heat, they can't hibernate that long in the snow. Revide MIGHT sway him to meet the hatchlings-."

"How do griffons reproduce? I mean with the egg and fetus combination?" Menma blurted out and Naruto coughed, choking on the sudden question of such...caliber.

"I wish to forget that part of the book."

"Tell me later."

"Maybe."

A terse silence blanketed the group, leaving Naruto to stand there and be expected of.

"_ANY_WAY..." Naruto stated loudly to deter the topic. "The point is, they're undecided..as of yet. They'll have an answer much later." Naruto then gasped when his fingers traced over something clinkety.  
He reached behind and pulled at the fastenings of the necklace. "I've forgotten to take it off." Naruto said and his hand held the necklace. "How much do you think it's worth?"

"Depends if it's real or not." Menma said and stood up, he took the necklace from Naruto, weighing the shards individually. "Will it bother you to have it?"

"It's just an item. Outside of Sasukes perimeters, it has no power." Naruto said and took the necklace back. He placed the gem laced string in his pocket and it noticeably plunked and dragged his pant down...slightly.

"...If you say so." Menma said and shrugged. "When should we leave, tomorrow?"

"As long as there's some kind of fog. Later than that, and we've lost a day." Naruto said.

"You should get some sleep. Give your injuries a chance to heal." Menma glanced at the sky...too cloudy to gauge the time, but he'd say around eight-to-nine o'clock.

"What'll you do?" Naruto inquired. The fire was still high, and the clouds still low.

"Sleep."

"Oh."

0o0o0o

So... Not too much going on in this particular update.  
I'm so sorry, you guys. I've just now been getting back on my 'robin-hood' like kick. This is a particularly short chapter, but the next one will be longer. My goal is about 12,000w for that one. It'll describe the going through of the Raisog... I get excited just thinking about it.

Some of you may be REALLY sad about the really long wait, but all I gotta say is... Several people like interactions of Menma and Naruto. If you like it so much, why don't you write a fic about them, PM me about it.

Until next update,  
~MonoChro


	10. Navigation

AN: If you see any w or ds th at lo ok li ke thi s...The documents were messing up, I'm sorry.  
LATE AGAIN :D  
enjoy!

* * *

That waking up thing went somewhat better than expected. Naruto didn't have the guts to check on his wounds.  
So, he opted for pushing on his bandages until he felt a bit better about it.  
Naruto opened his eyes and saw that it was nighttime, around three o' clock, judging from the Big Dipper positioning.  
An orange glow from the edge of his visit on drew his eyes to the left.

The fire had dimmed down to a mere ash and coals, the last embers occasionally lit up and smouldered, leaving a light glow. Rivulets of heat danced over the coals in a brilliant orange shimmer.

Yes, the flames are hypnotic.

Naruto gradually pulled himself upward. He trusted that they'd been given a couple days until Sasuke figured out where they were going, so he had a small amount of time to spare. Revide was laying close to the dying fire and Alden was still sitting. Naruto presumed the griffon had gotten some form of rest, so he brushed that worry off to the side.  
Menma was curled on his side polar opposite of Revide. He was no doubt sleeping off the effects of his first flight.

It's simple knowledge among all life for ms. Antelope do not fly, Eagles do not swim. Human bodies were not built or meant to soar.  
He'd heard rumors that if you went too high, it messed with your bones. Also if you stayed in the air too long, it messed over your equilibrium for weeks. Perhaps Menma would enjoy the ground a bit more.  
Naruto sat up and stretched as far as his bandaging would allow and then placed his hands at his sides. His half-coat still unfurled and the strands of threading were still sitting off to th some where. He'd retrieve those here in a minute.  
Gently, he pulled his left knee toward his chest, slowly. If he put too much strain, the bandages would snap open and give them much less time for traversing.  
As expected, the bandages wouldn't let him bend his knees fully, he had to hunch in order to even get his toes off the ground. He wondered if the bandages tightened? The soap could've stiffened, or the bandages might've been made out of cotton, which tightens when dry.

Naruto gradually pushed himself off of the ground, he had to bend his back in order for the bandaging not to suffocate him, his hands dangling almost limply to his knees. Naruto scanned the area again, looking for the leather stringlets. He spied them, laying a few feet away from the fire. Naruto paced over to them, find that if he bent his knees slightly, he could move a b it faster. He bent down slightly and picked up the threading, arms closer to the ground. Naruto began X- Threading the strings again, chewing on one of the sides to better lever age until the knot was secured.

Revide was rousing from her rest, the sound of Naruto must've stirred her. Naruto watched and stifled his laughter when she began bending backwards, her spine making a complete 'C' shape. She opened her mouth and let out the shrillest yawn Naruto had ever heard. He rose an eyebrow when she curled back over into another 'C' shape. Revide pushed her self upwards, resting on her front paws, cracking open her eyes, then falling back down.  
She then dragged her body upward then shook out, her wings extending as far as they could go and then floppily resting at her sides. She gave Naruto a SOUR look before drowsily scanning the clearing for Alden .

Alden, on the other hand, was curled up stiffly on the semi-edge of the clearing. His breathing was even and a serious glare made itself at home on his sleeping face. Revide sluggishly made her way to her companion, she glared at him before nudging his skull with her beak. Alden somberly roused and blinked at the feminine griffon before pushing himself upward.  
Unlike Revide, he managed to walk a few meters without flopping back down to the dirt...

Until he rammed face-first into a nearby tree.

Naruto snickered at the groggy animal be fore checking around the clearing for Menma, wherever the paranoid guy may be.  
Menma was sleeping on the opposite side of the dying flames, Naruto understood that he didn't see the counterpart when he first woke up, the fire was guarding his vision. Naruto hobbled over and prodded Menma with his toe until the counterpart was roused enough to wake up on his own. Menma stiffened, then pulled himself off of the ground.

"You're up?" Menma asked while rubbing his eyes. He stood up fully and blinked a way the fuzzy vision and refused the instinct to close his eyes back.

"Yup."

"Why're you," Menma said when his vision came back in the clear. "Hunching?"

Naruto waved Menma off and let his hands fall back down before explaining. "Bandages stiffened, don't worry about it." He could tell that Menma wanted to ask and adjust them but was restraining him self. "Maa maa, we won't waste the bandages on me, what if you get cut up at some point?"  
Menma glowered at Naruto through the sleep, his brain slowly processing the information and evaluating why Naruto was right.

"Fff-ine." Menma muttered and stretched. He looked around the clearing, checking the area where he'd just been sleeping. Surely enough, there was the half-coat he'd been leaving to dry out next to the fire.  
He crouched over and tested it, mildly damp, nothing, what wouldn't dry within next couple of hours, the wind would take care of. He looked back see Naruto picking up the abandoned pouch of supplies, he motioned for Revide to come over and began strapping on the supply bag. Checking to see if there was anything missing, besides the obvious dent in the medical supplies, all was well, even the fox statuette.

"I haven't slept like that for a long time." Menma muttered, the Uchiha castle w as far from his preferred sleeping conditions, leaving him more exhausted then he had realized. He threaded the stri ngs through and tied the knots before making his way to Alden.  
The griffon watched Menma with a sour, sleepy expression while standing straighter. Menma began re-tightening the saddle and testing it, making sure it wouldn't slip clean off.  
He then glanced back at the fire, it was smaller, but it needed to be put out all the same. He walked over to it, the heat repelling him with every step. Menma peered from overhead, lightly dodging an y cinders and ashes that permeated the span. Menma huffed at the fire and bravely stuck his hand in.  
As expected, the flames didn't burn, like a barrier of air separated the heat from his skin and clothing from all heat .  
Menma CAREFULLY touched one of the small logs, grasping the deteriorated material. He picked it up, charcoal smearin gl oves and crumbling in his grasp. He picked up another log, stood up, an his way to the water.

He placed the log in the water, it hissed and screamed at him, popping in protest. He picked up the small log and chucked it into the deeper portion of the river, watching as the lifeless log sunk far below the surface, he presumed a black smog trailed downriver from the charcoal .  
He rinsed and repeated, throwing every log and stick from the pit into the rivers.  
Sure, there was a blatant black spot in the clearing, but at least they wouldn't be spotted from overheard.

When Menma returned to the area, Naruto was already on Revide, ready to go. Menma sighed, not quite ready to face nausea all over again. Slowly, he walked to Alden and hoisted himself upward. He tied the straps to his legs, bounded and locked his fists into the rings.  
"It gets better after the first few flights." Naruto said and ruffled Revides fur.

"I disagree." Menma muttered and fastened his pouch a tad tighter. After a few moments of thinking, Naruto clicked his tongue and his ride shot off the ground.

Menma followed after, the dizzy sensation capturing his brain and caused him to shift in his seat, as Alden ascended. He now understood, flying creatures cannot suspend themselves, rather slowly go downward via cushioning of the winds. is a thing he would tell his bandsmen.  
It helped that it was at night, so he couldn't SEE the ground. Menma stiffened his hold on the loops when Alden reached floating point.

"Nights are usually calmer, the days crazy wind patterns normally die down." Naruto said and banked to the left. "A weather observer knows a bit more about that hot air cold air stuff. " He said an scratched the back of his head. Menma nodded.

"The Raisog..." He said out loud. He couldn't properly see the landscape, the clouds hovering low and sucking away most of the moonlight. Menma quickly thought about the time and realized it was probably about a quarter moon. "How will we know when we get there?"

"Like I said last night, it's rumored to be a pretty glittery landscape. Something about crystals and markets." Naruto said and kept his eyes planted ahead. " Wanna hear the history?"

"How do you know the history? I thought it was hermit-like? But yeah, tell all." Menma said and Alden bounced in the air, pitchy currents.

"I've read about it here and there." Nar uto said with a snicker. "But yes, the Raisog was actually a gem mine." Naruto cleared his throat. "A big dispute around Nocht and Bisk was about 'who gets the land?'. Eventually, a few groups of the two merged and claimed the mine as their own, markets shot up from near the mines and ever since then it's been a big shebang with trading."

"Ah, will there be anything familiar?"

"Not knowing. I've heard that Raisog is a pretty friendly place, maybe we can get some food or something there..." As if on cue, both stomachs rumbled, it didn't mean they were hungry, just that certain portions of the stomach were empty . " Eh..heh heh. Yeah, I just remembered ." Naruto scratched the back of his neck.

"We should carry the statuette with us at all times." Menma said and eyed Narutos pouch. "I would know."

"Rivaling groups?" Naruto said and patted the pouch.

"Something sort of like that, but not quite." Menma said and observed the mountain chains.

"I see." Naruto said and pointed ahead. "We'll keep flying in this route, the chain makes a hard loop for around twenty miles," Naruto said and pointed to the westerly north. "When we see it, we'll cross over to the other side and fly lower ." Naruto pulled his hand back and waited for Menmas approval.

"Sure, Mister Tourist Guide." He chuffed and continued to fly straight, Alden flapped his wings. Somewhere, the moon peaked out of the heavy clouds.

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto said and Menma could HEAR the blond rolling his eyes. "The only reason it's so cloudy is because of these trees, they make it so flipping moist and humid." Naruto went on about how it was a much more complex situation, scientifically, that is.  
Menma was impressed.  
Naruto did a lot of research and was very intelligent as far as how this climate worked, not just the climate, but all the surrounding areas as well. Definitely Prince and royalty material.

Menma listened as he went on to describe the way these trees worked, telling of how the sap came into play, how it was flammable, the effect it had on the tree, how it mattered to all of the carbonn dioxide and oxygen release, and made the air humid.

Such a brain, when given the opportunity .

Eventually, they would get out of the haze and let the moon guide them. Naruto finished with a small inhale. Menma hummed, mulling over the information. "When did you take the time to learn all of this?"

"When one wants to escape, he checks on every area around him." Naruto said with a flick of his hair. "The libraries are a bit shabby in the palace, nevertheless, I learned from the traders when I was 'taken out' to the streets." Naruot leaned on his ride, shifting his hips slightly to look at Menma. "You'd be amazed how a few drinks loosen some tongues, such a nice group of people." Naruto said with a tone that Menma knew was implying mischief.

"Sour folks, I presume?" Menma prodded slyly.

"Nah, just men away from their families, trying to make a living." Naruto said cheekily and turned around on his ride. Menma was taken aback. True, many traders were simply there for the money. But he hadn't really looked at it like that , it was their job... True, some just did it because it was a simple job...but wow. He didn't think about it like that.  
Naruto took on a different perspective, making Menma feel...kind of bad.

As they continued to fly, Menma noticed his clothes were nearly dry, he smirked in triumph over moisture.  
Alden seemed to be flying rather well in these conditions, his fur/feathers was a tad bit moist, but other than that, he seemed to be OK. Menma slouched, lettin g his hand grace Aldens neck. The griffon became tense, but Menma ran his hand over the neck and retracted slowly. He somewhat liked the grumpy bird, even it would take several more months to establish a connection with him, Menma valued the animal. They'd escaped together, wasn't that in itself powerful enough?

He sat straighter, and watched the horizon. Or...at least what he could see of the horizon.  
The trees passed under him, like staring at the sharp end of a pencil and placing it back down on the paper. The ground seemed cavernous, dark and depthless. At this height, it was hard to make out if there even was a ground, the trees swayed and remained firmly anchored in place, tell-tale signs that there was indeed earth. He silently marveled at how a new perspective made all the difference.  
Such an amazing sight.

Naruto was faithfully watching the edge of the clouds, glancing at the mountain chain not too far from where they were gliding. Soon, within the next fifteen minutes they'd be crossing over to the other side of the chain. After that, glide lower. He had no idea if there was any civilization along the next miles, so he' d have to keep an eye on the trees.  
From this point, the moonlight was edging closer. Making it seem as if half the world was blanketed in black, the other a slivery turquoise.

"So tell me, Menma." Naruto said after a few minutes. Menma lazily replied with a 'hm'. "What did you learn first, when you became a thief?"

Menma fumbled with the edges of his memory, it felt long ago, though only around three years. He considered the first heist, first sale, and trade. There we re so many important parts and elements , he wasn't sure what Naruto wante know...  
"I... Depends."

"You've already told me about how they set things up for a heist and how it's brought out. What are the core things?" Na ruto said with a very casual tone, he was being broad.  
And it was confusing the tar out of Menma.

"Core things of what?" Menma asked, the way Naruto was asking the questions, slowly biting at his brain.

"Anything."

Menmas jaw jutted to the side, a contorted frown, if you would. "We have several overseers, a group of spies for gathering intel, I'm not really sure what you want to understand." He thought for a moment. "The overseers make sure that every one on a certain heist get an equal amount of pay, they make sure that we all stick together and no one gets too rowdy. The spies...I'm not in that faction..I wouldn't know..."

"I see." Naruto hummed. "I guess I'll have to learn more when we get to the base ."

"It's a complicated set up that would take longer to explain, it'd be better if you SAW it." Menma figured Naruto was asking him so broadly, to get under his skin. Why? "Stop asking such broad questions."

Naruto snickered. "I had a feeling it was complicated, couldn't resist." Menma rose an eyebrow. "Either way, we'll be hitting the curve here in around ten minutes."

"How high will we fly after that?" Menmas mind kicked into working gear on instinct.

"Low, gracing the treetops. I suspect if we need to go lower, we'll walk. At this pace, we should reach the Raisog by around five to six o' clock." Naruto said and immediately shifted into guiding and directing mode. He leaned to the right and Revide banked at the sudden rock of weight.

The smog gradually faded at the far off areas, the mountains shot upward in heig ht, curving into the distance under the moon.  
"How is the air over there?" Menma asked and his eyes opened wider in alarm.

"Thin, the mountains are all like that, the air is harder to breath the higher u p you go. That's just how it is." Naruto shrugged. "If we can slip over the half circle in under a minute, we'll be good to go ." Naruto said.

"Why don't we just cross over now?" Menm a asked. "The mountains are low enough now..." Menma said with a 'are-you-even -s ure?' voice.

"Go up a little higher." Naruto said and waved him off. Menma frowned and pulled Aldens harness upward. The more they climbed the harder it was to breath, the air stung his lungs with the lack of oxygen. When he got high enough to actually go over, the air threatened to make him pass out. He leaned downward, clutchi ng his chest.

"Yeaaah." Naruto said apologetically. "There's a small dip at the curve, where we can get by a bit better than passing out."

"Alright, gotcha." Menma said when the water pulled at the edge of his eyes.

"Oh and," Naruto started, catching the wheezing boys eye. "You fly lower than me , since you have the least chance of not passing out."

"...Sure." Menma nodded. Naruto acted as if he was going to die or something. Naruto chuckled as Menma began to hack some more. "Altitude sickness, cute experience, no?"

"Yeah..." Menma growled into the sleeve of his arm. "Frickin' adorable." Naruto snickered.

The pair slowly made their way toward the dip. Just as Naruto said, there was a lower portion in the chain, like someone had taken a giant cannonball and made a huge half-circle.  
"Get under me." Naruto said quickly, Menma chewed his cheek at the order, but ducked under Revide nonetheless.  
Menma leaned down on Alden, crouching like you would in a horserace, but still guiding the large griffon with a swerve . He made sure to keep around ten feet between him and Revide.  
Above, Naruto was aiming for that dip, they were approaching the curve at a faster rate now. Good.

A minute and seven seconds later, they were about to ascend the 9000 feet limit , Naruto made the next verbal command.

"Hold your breath, if we do this right, it should only take twelve seconds!" And Revide began her ascent, flapping her small wings as fast as she could. Menma inhaled as fast as he could, tugged hard on the leather and Alden pumped his wings.  
According to earlier, the 300 feet they were about to ascend was highly dangerous and certain sickness was the cause of many flights.  
At least, that's what Naruto explain last night.

Indeed, he was already wishing Alden would go faster. True, he could run for extended amounts of time, but this was miserable.  
Gradually, he saw the rack formation change, and the half-circle become closer and closer.  
Taking forever!  
He considered exhaling, but immediately reconsidered after remembering those woozy hours sleeping, like he wanted to go through that again...  
He glanced at Alden, who was already showing signs of exhaustion, the griffon wasn't doing anything for Menma. Alden w as doing this because he wanted to bre at h easy again. Menma clutched his hea d as t he vision became fuzzy and his h rai ned into unwelcomed warmth.  
Menma glanced above, Naruto was nearly clear, he was ascending a few more feet to give Menma the much needed room to pass over. Menma urged Alden to go faster, the griffon flapped his wings even harder and slowly hovered over the edge. He didn't even need a command to know that Menma was getting short of air, too .  
Menma exhaled as the griffon dipped down and let gravity do the work. He inhaled and didn't need to see behind him that Naruto was following.

He inhaled the sweet air, as the light headedness and fuzzy heat slowly faded in to clear.  
It was then, that he realized how fast they were descending. In mild panic, he tugged on the leather.  
Menma presumed that Alden was rolling his eyes and slowly began to glide over fast-approaching forests. Naruto made his way next to Menma, cheekily grinning . The previously-panicking-Menma sighed and groaned.

"If given the option, I'm never flying after all this is over." He sighed and massaged his left temple.  
Naruto just smiled.

Menma returned his gaze back to the fore st, and watched in newfound awe as they passed under the clouds. The moon illuminated every bit of what he could see, washing every surface in an unfamiliar blue and black.  
Sure he'd seen the colors before, but not like this. Every tree made blue and black, glowing with the lack of focus in the human eye.

The wind tousled his hair, bit hard on his exposed skin... but he didn't mind so much.  
Menma smiled at the clash of color, happy that the clouds were gone.

They descended after that, treetops only about 300 feet below them.

They spent the next twenty minutes in silence, happy to be alive.

* * *

When the colors began to mold and mesh into each other, making Menma a tad bit sleepy, the edge of the sky began to get a bit brighter.  
Menma shook his head in disbelief, the earlier things made him more tired than what he should've been, plus the whole thoroughly demolished sleeping pattern made him even more tired.  
Shiny sun promises weren't helping.

Menma still scanned the edges along the horizon, looking for those lights that screamed "HEY SHOPS".  
But, not many signs of the tents...or something like that, or those kind found in Asian areas.  
Oooh, was that it!?

No.

Gosh, he was getting tired, needed to clear his head, or something like that.  
Naruto was above him, again, a look that told Menma he was deep in thought. Maybe about his parents, maybe about Sasuke, who knows?  
Menma inwardly grumbled.  
Of course he was thinking about his pare nts. Menma sighed, either getting bored or tired.  
Ugh, he hadn't been this bad since his very first time on the sea.

Blegh.

Naruto on the other hand, (Menma would never know it until two years later) was also actually very bored.  
Sure he liked trees, but maybe he underestimated the length it would be from the dip chain to the Rasiog?  
Ooh, was that a squirrel?  
No.

Menma found himself idly dozing off, desperately needing some form of occupation before he slept completely.  
That would be bad.  
Having a large human body on your back and not knowing it was sleeping when that's what you wanted to do in the first place.  
Yeah, he was getting tired.

"Naruto." Menma began, knowing exactly w hat he was going to say this time. "Are all flights this draggish after the first hour or so?"

"If you aren't impaled, running for life, engaging in dogfights, in a flight competition, dropping gas bombs, or dodging another griffon, then yes." Naruto responded, Menma rolled his eyes.(1) " Travel by air is pretty boring after the first few hours..." Naruto trailed off, looki ng to the side before grinning .  
"But come on!" Naruto said and Revide bumped feathers with Alden, throwing the over-focused two off. "You aren't doing really much of anything with him!"

"Eh?" Menma said and Alden tilted in flight to get back some space.

"Oh gosh..." Naruto said and closed his eyes. "You are FLYING, did it not cross you mind that this is also for fun?" Menma gave Naruto a sour look. "Do you want to learn some of the maneuvers?"

"Maneuvers?" Menma said.

"Yeah! Don't tell me in all your days that you've never seen an airshow?" Naruto said loudly.

"You seem to often forget that we come from totally differing climates..." Menma said and scratches the back of his head Alden chuffed beneath him.

"Oh, right." A few moments of silence pass. Griffons would suffocate in the heat . "But still! Aren't there like, huge bats or something there?"

"Have fun taming them."

"Chech, do you wanna learn some flight techniques or not?" Naruto said and shook his hair.

"Aren't we supposed to be on a trip?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Do you learn about that ship thingy called tacking while sailing?" (2)

"Yes but-"

"Then fly with me! I'll teach you so much about this!" Naruto interjected and waved his hands around. Menma sighed and thought 'why not'.

"Fine. But I ain't getting out of this seat-" Menma shook his head while pointing to the leather straps.

"That's only for skilled maniacs like me." Naruto stuck his thumb to chest, making sure that his point was to get across .

Menma sighed. "Alright, what's the first 'move'?" He said and pulled his hands a way from the leather.

"The first on is traditionally called 'the barrel roll', God help me if you actually call it that, I will hit you." Naruto said before closing his eyes and inhaling. "It's actually called an "Aileron", it's good for beginners, because it's rarely used."

"Wait, if we never use it, why learn it? " Menma said with a frown.

"Because it's simple and basic. Helps us get the gist of turning. ." Naruto said while moving his arms around. "It used to be a move to dodge arrows from other riders, if shot at from behind. We don't use many arrows, relying heavily on magic and such, that's why."

"They say the Bar- ahaha, Aileron was used to dodge shots from the front?"

"Uncultured idiots." Naruto said and shook his head. Menma nodded slowly. "I want Alden to perform the Aileron, act as if you were going to actually roll off of him."

"...Take that out of context."

"Shut up..." Naruto responded, he thought about it for a moment..."You make it sound like I'm gonna kill you, imagine it like you're opening a wine bottle...only horizontal..."

"Hmm. I think I understand."

"Pick a spot on the horizon, if you do a full 360, it should alternate from side ways, upside, sideways, normal." Naruto said and pulled back with Revide. "Let me act like I'mna hit you."  
Menma watched as Naruto fell back, he swallowed, fully awake now. He wasn't quite ready, but who's ever ready?  
Naruto rose up around 300 feet, Revide slowly flapping her wings, then dived to Menma.

Menma just sat there watching for one too many seconds until he realized he was going to be a sitting duck. Cursing, he tried to make Alden roll, forgetting everything about watching the horizon.  
He didn't make the roll, Only performing a thing that made Alden tilt at 90 degrees. The saddle shifted under and Narut o shot next to them, going faster than w h at Menma liked to consider safe.  
Revide shot upward with the leftover momentum.

Menma scowled when Naruto made another dive, he wasn't going to miss it this time! He ignored the rapidly approaching griffon and picked a point along the horizon, wrenching his weight to the left side.  
This time, he did roll, yanking on the leather when the horizon flipped back to normal.  
He snarled and pulled Alden a little higher than before, he'd get the hang of this. Revide was going to dive again, this time he could hear her chirping from a distance, and used this to judge t he proper roll.  
He'd get this!

When she made her way back to him, Menma shifted his weight far to the left and Alden rolled. He felt that the correct roll was done this time, Alden actually moved to the side, like sliding.  
When he came up, he saw Naruto smile at him, mischievously. Alden snorted, Menma made him ascend and descend in a confusing matter.  
Hope they had fun getting close to them, this go around.  
"Heh, I'd say I'm enjoying this."

They continued this pattern, Revide bulleting past them with speeds that would've knocked even Alden off regular, Alden barely dodging with clumsy rolling, Revide shooting upward and repeating the whole dizzying process.  
He was insanely happy when Naruto and Revide finally pulled up to an easy glide next to them.

"Hey, rider." Naruto grinned cheekily. " How do you think you are?"

Menma sighed, still slightly off. "To a certain degree, good, on a beginner leve l."

"Ha! I figured you would learn with repetition! I would've clipped you the first two times, but I could tell!" Naruto took another breath. "You were beginning to judge my speeds, and anticipate the movements!" Naruto said with a big grin. " You do pretty well, even if it's not really your first time!"

"Thanks..." Menma said, stunned. He liked getting compliments from him.  
Naturally because he was a complete opposite of Naruto.  
Naruto never missed a beat with his own speech.

"We might do some more moves after we're finished at the shops." Naruto said and scratched his head, chuckling. "That is, if you want to...eheh.." His eyes slid to the side before closing.

"Oh, uh, I'll cross that bridge when we get there." Menma said when he realized he was supposed to reply, then harshly scolded himself on the inside at how stupid he sounded.

"Alright." Naruto said and immediately went back to scanning the horizon. Menma followed his gaze.  
Even those couple of minutes spent seemed to make time go by a bit faster, he didn't even know how many extra miles they'd covered because of it.

When five o' clock finally rolled around , and the sky began turning gray, they could finally see some small lights at the horizon.  
Naruto sighed in relief, he was beginning to think that he calculated wrong. He smiled at the success, truth be told, he was worried it wouldn't work.  
He spent two months in the libraries learning about the landscapes, the cultures, he went to several volunteer classes, all to learn about this landscape (and how to escape it).

"You see those small lights over there?" Naruto said and pointed at the twinkling lights.

"Yeah..." Menma said and followed the line of sight. A thought of precaution crossed him. "We should land a quarte mile away from them, to avoid suspicion ." Menma said and brought a hand to his face .

"Something you would say, Menma." Naruto said. A moment passed before an idea crossed him.  
"Oh another thing," Naruto said and Menm a tilted his head to Naruto. "Speaking of precaution," Naruto said with a smirk and patted his pocket. "I have the necklace ready in case we see anyone I know from the palace."

"..." Menma pulled his hand away and wondered if the mask was in Narutos pouch.

Naruto grinned. "In case we have to keep up our little act, _Master._" Naruto said sarcastically and snickered. He pulled out one of the jade pieces .

"Shut it, _Slave_." Menma said and turned his head away f rom Naruto, he really didn't want to sh o w that he was trying hard not to snicker.

"Heh." Naruto pushed the sliver back into the pocket. "But seriously, if we do see someone I know, what're you gonna tell them?" Naruto said with a sly tint and Menma looked back to the lights. Naruto smiled mischievously, the guy was seriously lacking in crude humor. Seriously too much fun to toy with.

"Hm." Menma huffed and resumed staring at the lights at the horizon. Naruto was bringing this topic up. Frickin' tease. "I'll be that rugged guy who rents out pretty people for a week then gives them back to the pimp."

"How typical of you." Naruto said and tilted his head to the side.

"One condition," Menma said and rose his index finger. "I want my mask back."

Naruto snickered. "Fair enough." Naruto leaned over and tapped the supply bag. Enough teasing. "I figure the moment we exit this territory, we'll be out of Uchiha altogether, back to daytime flight. If you wany."

"Unless we get some funny and horrible coincident that there will be issues with travelers..." Naruto contradicted him self lowly.

"Point proven." Menma said and eyed the pouch.

"While we're talking, I wanna ask you so mething." Naruto said and pointed behin d him. Menma glanced at Naruto with a ' I f -you-screw-with-me-one-more-time... ' " How do you know that Riku dude?"

Menma waved his hand in the air. "The guy's a nutjob, always talking about keyholes or something." Menma rolled his eyes . "I'll give him credit for being a good fighter, though. He has a crazy amount of strange creatures followin around all the time, that's gotta suck."

"Hm." Naruto huffed and folded his arms. "Do you have any idea how he got around to his, ah, position?"

"Something about his friend sleeping safely, that's all I know." Menma said and Alden flapped his wings.  
The smog was getting thicker, something about the change in air temperature. The currents would eventually become a bit unstable as the sun got higher.  
He wondered if the griffons needed a break every now and then, surely soon?

Slowly, the lights approached, Naruto gave him the verbal command to bank downward.  
Menma swallowed and lean foreward, Alden dipped. He descended slowly, aware of the 'aces' stomach. Menma cringed as Alden began bobbing and the ground approached faster.  
As Alden landed, Menma started shaking a nd a sudden heat wave came over him. Al t itude sickness.  
He shakily unstrapped his legs and rolled off of Alden, the bird was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Menma grabbed his head and crouched next to Alden, more spinning.  
Wee.

"Now that I'm not injured, I can help you with that." Naruto said as Revide landed. He unstrapped himself and popped down, snatching something from the pouch .  
He walked to Menma, tapping the black-ha ired boy on the shoulder. "It'll pass."

"The same way a hurricane is just a river." Menma snarled.

"Shake your head back and forth, not sur e if it'll help, but it did for me." Na r uto said and watched as Menma vigorously shook his head from side to side. After a few moments of thoroughly sloshing the fluids in his ears around, his vision refocused and he looked at Naruto .  
"Better?"

"Yeah. Some." Menma huffed.

"Well here, you requested it." Naruto ha nded a mess of black fabric and red straps to Menma. Menma zeroed in on the object.  
He carefully took the fabric up and cove red his lower face, feeling back at home with the mask on.  
His feet felt extremely heavy, like all the fluid had been pushed down to the very skin...  
It would pass..maybe.

"Thanks." He felt much better with this mask on, like some funny sense of security was made each time he put it on. Atleast Naruto would have to look harder if he ever decided to tease him again.  
Speaking of which...

Naruto was clicking on the necklace, jade slivers falling into place on his neck . "You...ready?" Menma asked carefully.

"Yup, let's go." Naruto said and whistle d to Alden and Revide. Menma followed next to his ride. He noticed that Alden was following behind Revide, at first he thought the male was being an animal, but he remembered that it was to protect in case anything should come up from behind.  
How quaint.  
Revide was chirping a song that only birds knew, it came out sort of funny when she started purring.

Alden was paranoid, looking from left an d right every three seconds or so. Really, could he blame the male? She was obviously the only friend he would have.  
Or did he think of her as something more?  
Judging by the way he looked so glum, yes. Would she ever see him the same?  
Time will tell, time will tell.  
It wasn't like he could tell Alden to man up and ask her, he had NO experience in that field.

Naruto was casually walking while fingering the necklace, checking out the vegetation, seeing what he could find.  
The blond was scanning the treetops now.  
The guy was actually very smart in most circumstances.  
He hadn't DARED think too hard about him recently, ever since the ahm...thing at the dinner.  
They were in no way, a thing.  
Ugh, his thought process was sounding gay.

Menma tapped the edge of his mask, thank ing his lucky stars that he brought it w ith him that very day in the stockyards.  
Even if it made his identity a bit more. ..obvious. It was about time he upgraded to a full-face mask, maybe that one he was always eying in the underground shops. ..  
Nah, he could do better.

He hopped over a log, along with the oth er three. "Wait." Menma said and caught all of their attention. "Do you see it? "

"Yeah." Naruto said and inspected the log, fringes of shredded wood curling on his fingers. "It was fallen and bashed re cently. What do you think did it?"

"No clue." Menma said and began walking again. "Keep moving and being alert is all we can do for now." And so they did.  
The area gradually began to get more and more lit up, until everything was coated in gray, making the greens stand out so vividly.

The trees began to thin out more and more, until a path curved sharply into view , its starting point unknown. The two agreed it must've been some road to the shops, so they followed it.  
The trees became less and less until they finally made their way to the first torch, along with a measly-looking flag standing out horribly against the gray smg.  
As they continued to follow the path, the rough dirt/grass gave way to beaten a reas, dotted with hoof marks and footprints. The four came past the first tent, several neutral colors decked with a few poles. Probably some stayer that was where the keepers kept home.  
Not exactly safe.

The four finally got to the next torch, a tiny dot from far away, but growing the closer they got. Noise filtered through and gradually got louder until the four couldn't distinguish the voices from one another.  
Menma reached his arm out and tapped Alden, giving the animal a glance that could've meant many things. Alden drew closer to him, until feathers almost touched his waist.  
"Psst, Menma, wanna split? You take the left side, I take the right?" Naruto whispered.

"Yeah, how many coins you got?"

"Enough. We'll try to get as much information as possible, best way to get through the other mountains and such." Naruto said and tapped his pouch.

"I'll find you, she's like a magnet to Alden." Naruto snickered at the comment and nodded, they split the road and went their spate ways.

"Oh, and get some food if you can! Don't feed Alden any poultry, though!" Menma watched as Naruto took the right and cruised that way, leaving Menma to ponder what he just said. Why would-  
Oh. He went pale under the mask.  
That's partially cannibalism.  
Right.

Menma shook away the mental images and nodded to his ride. Alden shrugged and began walking. For once, he was thankful the animal couldn't understand human...  
enma began strolling casually, admiring the rustic jewelry for sale, how some s hops had polished bull horns, others working metal right there.  
He could understand a blacksmith working here to certain degree, the air was dam p and it was unlikely something would catch fire...  
But polishing bull horns? Those weren't very popular in his region?  
Oh right, since bulls were more bred in the southern areas, it was uncommon here in the north. Duh.

Someone gave him a funny look, mask and uncommon animal understood, it was still a funny look.  
He thought nothing of it, better to be looked at than chased.  
Alden gave angry and mean looks to anybody who so much glanced at him, but he always looked angry, so it didn't matter.  
Menma began strolling a bit more casually, looking for a place that would have trinkets to pass through a territory, something with a map rather than Narutos dirt reimagining...  
A man, came running up to Menma. He had a multicolor wrap around his head, several bags of coins jiggling about, and a mustache Menma would love to have.

"Please! Sell me your griffon, Sir!" He shoved the bags of coins at Menma. Menma leaned his head back and held his hands up.

"I'm sorry mister, he isn't for sale." Menma said and touched Aldens shoulder, w ho bristled at both humans. Menma did get a whiplash of relief when the bird leaned into his touch, not completely unaware of the situation.

"But please!" He said and waved the money around even more. "I can take good care of it!" It was Menmas turn to bristle. "Keep the creature fed, train it!"

"Firstly, Him, not 'it'. Secondly, he is my means of transportation. Thirdly, I' m sorry, he isn't for sale." Menma said and shook his head. Did this guy seriously need a ride? Look at all those bags! He could be a bank!

"But..." The man grumbled something. "Why wont you sell him! He's a valuable creature, very rare, could get lots of money for the griffon!" He said and lifted the bags.

"I just told you, he's my means of transportation, I cant just up and sell the guy. Plus, my partner would have my neck. .." Menma trailed off, considering the consequences.

"Please!" Menma grumbled in irritation, this guy was seriously persistent. Where'd he get all the money anyway?

"Ok..." He said and closed his eyes, bringing a hand up to his chin. "If you can touch this guy without nearly losing a finger or three, I'll sell him." Menma said and began stroking Aldens neck with the free hand.

The man smiled, transitioning several of the bags onto one arm. He reached his hand out, quickly.  
This man must've never handled animals before... He managed to get within four inches of the bird beak before Alden snapped at him, screaming in that strange bird-lingo. He jumped back and fell o n his rear, Alden moving toward him a few steps, snarling.  
Menma calmly put a hand on Alden, shaking his head at the animal.

"How did you tame him?" This man said and stood back up, picking at any pieces of money he might've dropped.

"I didn't." Menma said. If he tells the whole story of how Naruto got to the animals, even without mentioning names, they could be tailed. "You cant force something to trust you, sometimes money simply isn't enough." Menma said and began to walk away. "Good day."  
Menma tried to ignore that gruff stare the man shot at him, but all too happy to forget it the moment he heard the man scamper off in some direction.  
Now to go and find a shop with some information on the general area.

He paused to turn left and observe some rustic jewelry that was no doubt shipped over her from the Tropics. The woman selling them eyed Alden and rider curiously but chose not to say anything.  
Menma would've felt bad for just walking away, like he'd been too hoity-toity for the merchandise. So he opted to strike up a conversation.  
"I could almost tell you exactly which village the yellow ones are from." She jumped at him, probably not expecting him to say anything.

"R-really?" She said, clearing her throat. She tapped one of them, fingering the polished rock.

"Yeah, the shipping must add a few coins here and there, no?" Menma said and dangled one of the yellow pendants in front of his face. "I cant afford these." He said and put it back down.

"I understand she said sadly. Menma waved her goodbye and began walking around the landmarks yet again. His stomach rumbled, reminding him yet again, you need to eat.  
His mouth was getting that familiar icky sensation when one decides to forgo food. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, what was good in the northern regions again?  
Menma was craving some spicy chicken, now that he let his mind wander.  
But that was prohibited now, considering Alden wouldn't be too keen on the idea, it would be rude to ask another shop owner where the food was, and... he had better things to do. Menma began strolling the streets with a quicker pace now, if he saw something useful along the way, so be it.  
For now, all he was thinking of was a chicken SLATHERED with peppers.  
Every kind.  
Even maybe that ginger-thing he hated... No he wasn't that hungry.

Alden seemed to have both fur and feathers ruffled from the previous encounter. Not that Menma could blame him, surely the guy didn't like shaky and altogether panicky characters?  
He wondered if there was some major consequence going to take place because he didn't hand Alden over?  
Neh, Alden might've killed the guy. So in the end, everyone was alive, that's better for everyone.  
Menma chuffed and eyed the shops, one sold fluffy looking re-imaginings of animals.  
One looked like a purple dragon, the other a kangaroo with boxing gloves.(3)

He did not understand these cultures... Menma tried to look nonchalant as he passed the oddball shop and began looking over some other items.  
He wouldn't dare enter the shop that featured handcuffs.  
Nor the one with a door and BIG knives brandishing themselves innocently.  
Alden might see something bad if he went into the one with red royally LAYERED at the base of one...  
Plus, that guy sitting along the edge of a fence...selling red fruits that certainly looked painted...a prank?

Nope, he didn't understand these cultures.

He walked for a few more minutes and something took his eye.  
A tent that sold pendants, identical ones at that. The man and woman who were manning the sales looked quite wealthy... by the area standards..  
He pulled Alden to the shops and began observing the pendants. Each one was a red egg shaped rock that had a design etched inside the stone. There were three coin-like objects that probably clinked at the slightest movement.

"What are these?" Menma asked and pointed to them.

"Passes." The woman said slyly. "Allowance of crossing the large rivers up ahead." Menma questioned her instantly. She just didn't seem trustworthy.

He narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

"Depends. Thirty in the standard currency, eighteen in gold, six in silver."

"Why do I need them to cross a river? Shouldn't that be a cinch with a swimmer or other devices?"

"Getting mauled is what you're asking for." She said and swept her hands over the pendants. "Bisk is quite rude."  
What she said made sense to a certain degree...  
better safe than sorry.

Menma snatched his pouch from Aldens side, tapping the fox statuette calmly and snagging out sixty coins.  
He paced over with the coins in a smaller pouch, and tossed it on the table, the coins made a jumbled clinking before settling lopsidedly.  
"Give me two of them, give back the bag when you're done counting."

She smiled and began counting the coins, Menma waited patiently for her to finish.  
The woman handed him two pendants which he cautiously took, thanking her when she gave back the smaller pouch.

He motioned for Alden to follow and as they walked, he placed the two passes into the satchel.

* * *

Some certain amount of time later, he stumbled back to Naruto.

"Did you find anything?" Naruto said and greeted Alden with pets on the gruff birds head.

"Passes to the rivers." Menma said and motioned to the satchel.

"Aghk! I was looking for that shop... You wouldn't believe this! Some guy tried to BUY her from me!" He said and pointed at Revide who seemed to understand exactly what he was relaying and wrapped her gray wings around Naruto. She let out a few gurgled chirps and pulled Naruto in close. Comically, might Menma add.

"You saw that guy also?" Menma said and pointed at Alden, who bristled his feathers.

"You too? Blegh, what a hassle!" Naruto said and gently pushed her wings away. Naruto grinned cheekily and pulled something from behind him. "Anyway, I got these." Naruto said and shoved some meat on a stick to Menma.  
Menma tilted his head and took the meat graciously. Naruto smiled and tossed a slab of meat for Alden.

"There were no food shops in my area..." Menma said as Alden tore into the meat, Revide calmly watching. Naruto must've fed her earlier. "What kind of food is that?"

"Cow." Naruto said. "I've kept with food at my waist the whole time, he'd have to be hungry after all this." Naruto said and began to chew into the meat on his own stick.

"Ah."

"Where are we headed?"

"Don't know. Have any idea where a map might've been?" Naruto said through his meal.

"Nope. I guess we'll know after we eat, how many sticks did you get?"

"Plenty." Naruto said and pulled out a handful more. Menma pulled down his mask and chewed thoughtfully.

"There was another river mentioned to me, I guess we'll see what information we pick up."

* * *

TBC  
1. Dogfights: Airplane fighting  
2. Tacking. When ships move in a zigzag motion headon in the wind  
3. Spyro: Attack of Rynocs/Adevnture  
This thing was such a monster.  
I HAD plans to publish it earlier, but I'm losing my muse.  
Till next time,  
Mono


End file.
